Mumbai - The Local Train

Travelling in a Mumbai train,

One can observe most commuters’ faces in anger and pain.

Hardships of the people living in this city is for all to see,

A humble living for their family seems to be their only plea.

The cost of living is high for no good reason,

What will one buy and what will one save.

Half of one’s life goes in travelling through these crowded trains,

A sound sleep is all they desire at the end of the day.

Is that too much to expect in this earthly life?

Some of us have so much; still our desires never cease to end,

If only we could all retrospect, and think of all that we have.

Will it not make our life richer… with happiness?

The journey from another hard day at work and travel has almost ended,

However, even as you reach your destination you are pushed around and out from the moving train.

You just think of the day that was as you walk the final steps towards home,

Moreover, you start preparing yourself mentally for the next day, when you would recommence your journey.

Yes, it is the crowded train once again.

The Christmas Season

It is that time of the year again,
When children hang stockings on Christmas Eve.
They wake up eagerly the next day,
As gifts from Santa Claus is what they all expect to receive.

Now that I have developed into (what I think of myself as) a mature adult,
I try to find the true meaning of the Christmas season every passing year.
For some people this is the season of the spirit of giving,
While for some, it is a time to be merry and have no fear.

Just as our professional and personal goals change year after year,
The reason for celebrating the Christmas season continues to evolve.
I am a bit confused on how to celebrate my first Christmas as a married man,
How I wish Santa, could come a bit early, and resolve the dilemma in which I am.

Connecting with GOD

(This article written by me was published in the August-September issue of the Our Lady of Egypt Church Parish Bulletin, Olep Flight)

The last decade has seen a spurt in the use of mobile phones. Mobile phones have become a big necessity in our lives. From starting our day with the alarm ringing on our mobile phone to wake us up, to reminders for birthdays, anniversaries and meetings, no other instrument has been able to control us so much as this small hand held device. Just think about it.

Using the mobile phone, one can constantly stay in touch with family and friends at our fingertips. One message or one call is all it takes at times to catch the attention of the opposite person. The mobile phone has been one of the most interesting inventions. Moreover, this has helped us all to connect with each other.

Most of us Christians visit the Church to attend the service. While some of us visit the Church daily, most of us only attend the Sunday service. Why do we visit the Church? Well, most of us do it so that we can connect with GOD. While some of us do it, just to fulfill our religious obligations.

Anyways, the reason is not important here. Once a person decides to attend the service, it is the responsibility of the person to ensure that he or she does not, directly or indirectly cause inconvenience to the congregation.

I am not going to talk about the dressing part here that is not what I want to do. However, coming back to mobile phones, I fail to understand that if a person has decided to come to Church to connect to GOD, why that person cannot switch off the mobile phone. I know we will have some excuses for that too. Important calls, urgent messages, and so on. Valid reasons one might say.

However, I am sure that every mobile phone on earth has an option to keep the device on Silent mode. If the call or message is so important or urgent when we are in Church, why do we not use this feature then? At least, it will not cause inconvenience to the faithful, who are a large number, gathered in the Church.

From my personal observations in the recent past, most of the time the mobile phone beeps, the device belongs to an adult or an elderly person. More often than not, they do not know how to use the mobile phone features, and struggle to switch off the device or keep the device in silent mode for that matter. Children nowadays are more knowledgeable in handling such devices, and at least they use the silent mode feature at a minimum in the Church.

I hope I have not offended anyone’s feelings with all that I have written. I just wanted to state my perspective, which is, “Once you are in Church, you decide for yourself, you have come there to CONNECT with whom?”

This one is for you, Sister.

Growing up as a kid involved a lot of fun,

As I had two siblings and I was their loved one.

My sister was quite elder to me and hence was very protective of me as a kid,

Hence, I felt like she was my second mom and about that, I am candid.

She being the eldest sibling and I the youngest, ninety-nine percent of the time we always got along,

Hence, whenever I had fights with my elder brother, I got all the support even if I was in the wrong. :-)

My sister used to experiment a lot in her recipes, and I enjoyed watching her cooking,

However, the best part was her recipes turned out good every time, about that I am not lying.

She got married when I had just completed my schooling,

So living a life without her presence at home, I started adapting.

At a time, when I was growing into adolescence and increased feelings for the opposite sex,

I missed my sister's presence, started lacking the confidence to interact with girls and at times was feeling like a wreck.

Someone did say that time is the best healer, and this definitely seemed the case,

As I grew into a man, everything in life started falling in place.

Now that I am married, and look at the way you have brought up your two kids,

I can only sense what you might be feeling, as to you more than a brother I was a kid.

I had just started scribbling few lines thinking about you on my writing pad,

Here I am thanking you SISTER, for all the good times we had.

Who will help me carry him?

The movie Gladiator that released in the year 2000 had quite a few good dialogues. However, the sequences of dialogues towards the end of the movie always makes me emotional.  

After a fight between Maximus the main protagonist of the movie and Commodus the emperor of Rome, where both men die, the following dialogues follow.

Lucilla: Is Rome worth one good man's life? We believed it once. Make us believe it again. He was a soldier of Rome. Honor him.

Gracchus: Who will help me carry him?

[Gladiators surround the body of Maximus and carry him out of the arena]

The dialogue  “Who will help me carry him?” reminds me of the times I have had to carry a few men in my family to their final resting place. It is definitely not a good feeling. In the last 5 years, this has happened quite a few times already.

• Charles Dias, My Dad, 2006
• Victor Fernandes, My Uncle, 2007
• Eric Sequeira, My Cousin’s Husband, 2010
• Philip Dias, My Uncle, 2010

I can just say "May Their Souls Rest In Peace".

Today

Exactly a year since the time, we first met.

Exactly 100 days since the time, we got married.

The first part you remembered, the second I did.

 :-)

White Mischief

(This poem written by me was published in the quarterly edition of the Avaya Newsletter - Khabrilal)

Be content

A pair of eyes to observe properly,

A pair of ears to hear clearly,

A pair of hands to get a lot of work done,

A pair of feet to walk and meet new people in the journey of life.

However, you have only mouth and that is for one good reason.

The words that you speak cannot be taken back and hence have the potential to make or break a relation,

You already have realized the damage that you could do with one mouth; imagine the trouble you would land yourself in with two.

Similarly, in life try to be happy with all that you have, you will surely get what you deserve.

In other words, thank GOD for all that you have and trust GOD for all that you need.

A drop is all it takes at times...

A drop of which no one wants to shed.
Blood


A drop of which is awaited by the person waiting to quench his/her thirst.
Water


A drop of which at times indicates joy or pain.
Tear


A drop of which signifies some physical effort.
Sweat


A drop of which signifies the start of a new season.
Rain


A drop is all it takes at times to indicate something BIG. Life teaches us many lessons that are so simple to understand, that we treat it like a small drop because they appear insignificant at that time. However, we fail to understand the impact of the same until that small drop becomes a huge ocean in our lives.

A Sign of Changing Times

To hear one's inner voice, a person does not go about locating answers inside oneself, but goes to a location outside called the Echo Point.

Not yet...

Have i been the perfect son that every mother desires?
Not yet.


Have i really been a good brother to my siblings?
Not yet.


Have i been the best colleague anyone could have at work?
Not yet.


Is my faith in God strong enough?
Not yet.


Has everything around me changed for the worse?
Not yet.


Have people lost faith in my abilities?
Not yet.


My time will surely come. 
So don't come me out yet. Not yet....

(Thought of writing this poem while watching the movie Gladiator)

Beautiful season

The beautiful season has made its presence felt,

Everything around has blossomed to its fullest.

Different shades of green is all that i see,

How i wish this season would not cease.

The cool weather makes one feel so nice,

Wish you were around to add some spice.

Nothing seems more pleasant than the season of monsoon,

Really a nice season to cherish just after my honeymoon.

(Wrote this while travelling from Pune to Mumbai in the Intercity Train)

A New Journey

Walking alone I have managed to come only this far,

Now I need a partner for the long journey ahead.

Someone who could be there always to direct me on the right path,

Moreover, in whom I could find support when I fall down and have faith.

Together as we travel, life’s going to throw up many difficult moments,

Some with lots of joy and some of miserable pain.

Coming out triumphs together in this journey is what we should aim for,

As this will definitely make the ride all the more pleasurable than explored alone before.