Yaadasht

Bhoolne ki beemari ho gayi hai shayad
Or maybe it is just a sign of age
Khayal aajkal bante hi ho jate hain ojhil
Even before they could reach a page
Aaj kai logon ke naam bhi yaad nahi
Whose phone numbers I could recite in sleep
Na jaane kitni baatein seekh seekh ke bhool gayi
Wastes time, re-realizing realizations deep

I don't often recognize my own words
Apna hi maazi aksar anjaan lagta hai
Sometimes though a twitch returns, feeling familiar
Yadasht ka na sahi dard ka to rishta lagta hai
But happiness seems much harder to preserve
Lafzon mein nahi theherta woh samaa
Maybe art is a consolation, as someone wise once said
Khushi ko shayari ki pehchan kahan

Believe it or not...

Rationality makes stupid decisions more often than irrationality does.

25.12

It's not the weight so much, it's the fat. Look at your pics from a couple of years ago. Rankles, but true.

Here, you're the only 16-24 friend I can recall. All rest are old hats. Ouch. Bad timing, or welcome to the club.

Meet her, she was my best friend in college. Past tense? Oh well.

25.11

Miss Five, I love you.
Miss Eight, you did great.
Miss Ten, it would be alright.
Miss Twelve, you did no wrong.
Miss Thirteen, you're not alone.
Miss Sixteen, don't fight yourself so hard.
Miss Seventeen, find yourself and let her be.
Miss Eighteen, let go of the guilt.
Miss Nineteen, just take the plunge.
Miss TwentyOne, ask what you need, don't need what you want.
Miss TwentyThree, watch what you're losing.

Miss Thirty, don't give up dreaming.
Miss Forty, don't tire out yet.

Miss of all ages, remember what we say: Smile. Come what may.

25.10

I don't have a true purpose in life. That's the biggest void.
But my fear is, if the void were to be fulfilled, do I have the requisite courage.
My question is, for me to muster the courage, do I have enough self-belief.
I wonder, if self-belief comes from strength of faith, how do I measure.
I guess, if faith is built with challenges of crises, I don't know if I have let myself be challenged enough.
I conclude, my purpose will challenge me.

I am ready. Waiting.

25.9

There's only one reality. Many appearances.

Hunting for the reality is not worth it. All truths are ugly in absolutes.

Holding onto reality is above everything else in life. Everything else in life is just a maze of half-truths.

We all tell stories. We all own stories. We all *are* stories. Not reality.

25.8

Love yourself.

Life's too short to wait for someone else to.
Life's too long to go without love.

25.7

Jeene ko hain pal chhin bahut abhi
Marne ko kai baar ji fir karega
Jo beet gaya woh kal bhi apna hi hai
Aane wale ko bhi dil apna hi kahega

25.6

Umr ke padavon par
Zindagi rukti to nahi magar
Mud ke dekhne ko peechhe
Kuch pal to chura sakti hai
Bigde hue ehsaason ko
Badal nahi sakti magar
Samet kar hatheli mein
Halka sa muskura sakti hai
Pal pal badti zindagi mein
Zinda-dilli mil jaye agar
Umr na ghate kabhi to kya
Zindagi ko to bada sakti hai

25.5

There's nothing in this world like friends. Especially old friends.
All the scientists around the globe trying to find ways to time-travel should explore the "being-with-friends" approach. There's certainly an invisible field that forms when old friends come together, seamlessly transporting them to treasured times.

And in that moment it struck me, nothing had really changed. We, all of us, were still us. Despite everything.

25.4

For you are my joy...

Bday Resolution: start losing weight. Can't stay so moti. Think it's time. :)

25.3

One reason to live:
The love in thy eyes.

More than good enough.

25.2

No reason to die.
No reason not to.

Life is suddenly illogical.

25.1

I'm not too young
To understand the pleasure
In staring in the eyes
Of my own fears.

I'm not too old
To get high blood pressure
From drinking the salt
Of my own tears.

Not yet.