Words

To simply say what words are,
Words communicate meaning,
Acting as our minds' messengers,
A vent to thought and feeling;

But how immensely powerful,
Are these words that we use,
What a great impact they can have,
Is what makes me muse;

Words can fill a heart with joy,
Make it beat with love and life,
But evil, if they become, they can,
Hurt that heart like a knife;

Words

Words can make a person's image,
But can tarnish it just as easily,
They make so transparent personalities,
That can be great or silly;

Words can cause a mob,
To be quiet or create an uproar,
They can influence the minds of masses,
And can make them happy or sore;

Words could be a ray of hope,
In the darkness of some sorrow,
They can give the courage and the dreams,
Of a new tomorrow;

Words can make or break ties,
They can bring people close,
Or let the bonds of affection tear off,
Like the petals of a withering rose;

How mighty are these words,
Possessing a great strength,
It is through them that today I could,
Write this poem at length!

Please note : This is a poem that was written by my friend years back when people used to keep diaries.As a tribute to creativity I decided to put this in my blog so as to share it with the rest of the world and preserve it better.

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The Night Sky

The purple-crimson evening slowly faded out,
Darkness settled gradually,as I looked roundabout,
The night sky quietly enveloped the world,
Like a smooth,soft blanket around it was twirled!

The celestial bodies that shined and shimmered,
As though on black velvet,diamonds were scattered,
Secrets of their own, they seemed to hold,
Mysteries of the universe, they left untold!

The Night Sky

The crescent moon looked to be smiling lazily,
It's silver beam cast like a glance so dreamily,
In it's ivory illuminance, tree leaves gently swayed,
Against the magnificent dark skyline,a dancing pattern they made!

I glanced up at the clear,night sky,
In its depths, fate and destiny seemed to lie,
A magical spell all over it had cast,
An enchanting vision,that felt forever would last!

With the first appearance of early dawn,
As silently as it came, the night sky was gone,
Yet,its lovely memory was carved in my mind,
A mark of its serene beauty,it had left behind!

Please note : This is a poem that was written by my friend years back when people used to keep diaries.As a tribute to creativity I decided to put this in my blog so as to share it with the rest of the world and preserve it better.

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A Letter to PM of India on Independence Day

Dear Prime Minister ,

I am caught in a conundrum whether to congratulate you on this Independence day or express dissent at your speech which you gave from Red Fort. For you i will leave the niceties behind but as a True Indian i will first wish my brothers and sisters an environment of freedom , fairness , equal opportunity , progress and happiness on this historic day of us getting independent.

When we were small kids we used to wait for this one special day of the year when the Prime Minister of India hoisted the tricolor and addressed the nation. The exuberance, the happiness ,the expectations stemmed from the fact that India was a developing nation then, it is still though, and the Government chief would paint a positive picture and give wings to our dreams. The news, the media was not so rampant and PM's single address to the entire nation carried so much weight that we children even felt so much proud being an Indian. The leader of the nation carried that unblemished image , the authority , the vision , the belief and the promise that the nation is safe in his hands.The reassurance that year after year we as a country are progressing well used to put sail in our morale and minds. The primary objective of that address was to inform , communicate, inspire and instill in the masses a sense of security and well being. 

That was couple of years back . When i heard you today the ethos , the soul , the message on this very important occasion was completely missing. I will not delve into each aspect of your speech but would like to ask questions on few important issues. I am assured by the fundamental rights of a citizen to ask questions that concern my nation's welfare , happiness and prosperity. 

Happy Independence Day

The first and foremost of all is India's security and Foreign Policy vis-a-vis its neighbors or better say its enemies. The events of intrusion on our borders , firing and sabotage of our posts and land , killing of our soldiers and continued aggression is a mater of concern and national security. Every independent state has the right to protect its territory and shape up foreign policy that is conducive and helpful in maintaining its Sovereignty. The lapses and the incidents threatening our state has increased manifold and the response from your government is lukewarm and disheartening. Even today you did not find the national security an important topic to discuss with the nation. Don't we have a spine or willingness to respond back appropriately ??

Second issue that not only me but the entire nation is seeking an answer for, is Corruption . In your regime of last 10 years mammoth scams with staggering amounts have taken place be it 2G , Coal , Railway , Army Purchase and so on. The first response that  came from PMO's office was of denial but when the fact finding was done it was established that your office was a party to the decision making. How many committees and probing agencies will you set up to hide away from the wrongdoings of your ministers and aides. The damage has been  done with the India Shining story already killed but what is more painful is, there is no one in this entire country who is convicted . This show of shamelessness, haughtiness , invertebrate hollowness is being run for years now and no one has a conscience to provide us an answer. Were you not supposed to represent the ruling government and own up responsibility to assuage the citizens that you are on the side of the fairness and morality ?? Where has your self respect and the respect for the post of PM gone ??

The last one that i would like to bring to your notice is government's agenda to provide an opportunity to each citizen to prosper and progress. For how many more years will we keep listening to this cliched statement of ' Food , Cloth and Shelter ' for all ?? How many years will it take to alleviate India out of utter poverty that is eating away its citizens ?? When the country has nearly 1/3 rd of its population living under the below poverty line what do they understand of progress and growth?? Where is the vision of inclusive growth that was laid by our leaders who got us freedom ?? If you don't have answers to any of my questions then why are we being fooled to believe that elected governments are here to provide good governance. I need to know from you why has decision making , policy making and formulation , and governance vanished from your must to do activities.

Since i do not have access to you and seek answers in person, i am writing my thoughts in my blog. The most viable event that could have given me some comfort and reassurance was your address this morning. None of the issues that concern the nation and its citizen was considered important by your script writer to touch upon and logically you are not at mistake. All i wish is, i do not get to hear an insipid message like this that only weaves stoic silence around the issues that the entire nation wants to hear about.

Happy Independence Day !!

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My Present Day Fears

When one talks of his or her fears it may include the  loss of a loved one, loss of money and other materialistic possessions. These events bring  anxiety , turbulence, pain , self doubts and  age is not a factor for any such misadventure to occur .  The background and profile definitely is a parameter for the day to day challenges that are thrown upon all of us and the fear factor is directly proportional to one's position in life. The larger we have things at stake the bigger are our fears.

Every other day i have a conversation with my spouse as to what my fears are and can i strive to keep myself in control of life's situations and be unanimous through all thick and think.

Take fear head on

Since i work for a private set up my first fear is  loosing my job. One would wonder and aptly conclude that i may not be competitive enough to survive or not talented enough to contribute ; none of them is completely true or out rightly wrong. Education does provide an individual a base , a set of rules , some prudence to take informed decisions and progress well in career. What is still worth considering is the cycle of  'Education Refresh', our fathers and forefathers could live for decades with their common sense and wisdom but in today's world the pace of change outweighs one's capacity to adapt and learn. 

I have been witnessing an occurrence very occasionally where people at middle level management are getting jittery over employment and how cost cutting and economic turmoil is hitting homes hard. A similar segment is youth who are incurring hefty expenditure on college fees on an assumption that their salaries will cross a threshold level and they will break even soon. Again their worst fear is not meeting that benchmark, or missing it by a wide margin.

My entire scheme of things is solely based on my present saving potential and an optimistic projection of the future. What worries me most is a moment , an event that can hamper my chances of meeting ‘minimum operational expenses’ and support my growth plans. I have built a lifestyle that is simplistic and manageable , comforts that are at the brink of necessity and risks that are futuristic. Even with this matrix that is easy to understand i have concerns on its longevity in the long run. The basic reason is that the model heavily hinges on one single  individual who is susceptible to external factors and the constant called change.  

The second fear that i have is not being able to take a right decision at the right time, the cost of any such misadventure can push the cart of life southwards. While sitting for a review in office one of my senior colleague attributed failure in life to not being able to qualify opportunities and threats aptly. It is the honor of a hard working soul to do every thing possible within his limits to reinforce his intent and commitment to work. All of us would do the same and will unearth multiple reasons for failure before hitting a right one to succeed. This is the conventional approach and wise men differentiate themselves from the crowd here. Their ability to separate the chaff from the grain at an early stage saves them time and money and then success can't be far behind.  In my prayers everyday i ask the supreme lord to bestow me with intelligence , wisdom and foresight ; all of them are so very much precious.

The last fear that i carry is not being able to keep sound health to be able to  support  and contribute my ecosystem. Lifestyle related diseases are growing faster than any other parameter of  civilization. Stress, Hypertension , Obesity , Heart Diseases , Sleep disorders , Personality disorders and so many of them are being added to our list every other day. The important thing to note is, not only physical health but also the mind that is getting severely affected. The health of an individual and the entire society is cumulatively on decline.  The mind is at unease , the bodies are tiring and the disturbance is spilling on the roads in forms of rage , crime and incidents that are gruesome and not worth mentioning.  With the percentage of the young in our country i am not worried of our growth story but what unsettles me is an era of deterioration of human values and empathy. The overall health of the Indian society is bothering me , with the physical capacities decreasing and mental strengths following suit.  I work really hard to keep my fitness to the prime  but also want to engage with the thinkers to refresh and renew my mind's abilities.

I have simple plan of action to allay these fears and keep myself afloat in all this churn and chaos. First be honest and work exceptionally hard , second believe in my own abilities, learning and third live a disciplined and a healthy life. Life’s race is pretty long and the horse that runs the entire race will be a winner not the fastest one, i bet !!

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