Near

No heart-to-heart talks
Loneliness between couples
Near but miles far away!

Written for Haiku Horizons: "near"

Kiss of Love

photograph by Robert Doisneau

Can you pause for a while?

In this fast race, as people shove,

All I want is your smile

And a re-assuring kiss of love.

Written for Magpie Tales: mag 250

Ruby

Whose life is flawless?
Even ruby is not free
Of imperfections.

Written for Haiku Horizons: "ruby"

The wonder city - Melbourne

Whose eyes don’t grow bigger with the attractive sight of Melbourne? Melbourne is, indeed, one of the most beautiful places in the world. I have heard descriptions of the country Australia from many of my relatives who have settled there or visited the place. But, I have never got a chance to get there and bask in the marvellous views of the city and wonder what an amazing place this world is!

I have always had a wish to live at the topmost floor of the tallest apartment, however, I do not know whether the wish will come true. But, trying Eureka Skydeck, I would love to let my wish be true for at least a few minutes!  Standing on the top of the world I would love to touch all the landmarks of the city with my fingertip! The view from the 88th floor of a skyscraper! I’m certainly afraid of heights! But, the magnificent view would give a mixed bag of emotions of fear, thrill and excitement! And all with no real floor below! That would be a one-in-a-lifetime experience! Just take a look at the video below, Tanmay and Rohan’s Melbourne escapade. You will surely feel the rush to experience it at least once. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4LA3PbtRu0&index=15&list=PL2r0ptqQ1wBCimcqdfsBCks1YVaFDczLh

And again when it comes to heights, hot air balloon is a major attraction. Who wouldn’t think that it is a very romantic getaway.  What’s different about a hot air balloon at Melbourne is the panoramic view of the highs of mountains and the wide ocean blue. It has to be a view from paradise!
Tanmay and Rohan make it an absolute fun adventure with their humour. Check it at the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFke1cDm5F4&index=18&list=PL2r0ptqQ1wBCimcqdfsBCks1YVaFDczLh

The next thing I liked is A Maze and Things. What a great idea to make use of space for physical interaction. It just adds more fun to the already interesting science theories! Optical illusions are a fun thing. It makes us realize how our own eyes and brain cannot be REALLY reliable! Everything in this world is relativity! Do take a look at the below video to find out how A Maze and Things is funny!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPIyEbiRL0o&index=13&list=PL2r0ptqQ1wBCimcqdfsBCks1YVaFDczLh

I’m more of a nature person. I would definitely love The Twelve Apostles! A huge stretch of ocean blue and there you behold the colour changing sand rock stack apostles! Nature plays wonderful games with light - the colour of the sky, the colour of the ocean, the colour of the sand during daylight and in shadows. Nature, I salute you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ8aD--efb4&index=14&list=PL2r0ptqQ1wBCimcqdfsBCks1YVaFDczLh

Puffing Billy is another exciting thing for whoever values antique pieces from history. It is the oldest preserved steam railway train. I love the hissing start of the engine and the sight of smoke covering the antique engine . I’m a big fan of train journeys. Peninsula Hot springs is a place to unwind and relax in the naturally flowing mineral rich hot springs. Panny’s Chocolate factory is a place for every chocolate-lover! They have chocolate city, chocolate toys, chocolate exhibits. What is common in all places in Melbourne is that it makes every visit a child-like experience. I would become a child awed by what the city has to offer.

Do take a look at all the series of Tanmay and Rohan's escapade at "Come Alive in Melbourne". Visit Tourism Victoria website for a complete guide of all the places to visit in Melbourne.

ATTENTION!

Lastly, I have a surprise for all the readers! A contest where I ask a question and the best answer gets a Rs.500 shopping gift voucher. And the question is as follows:

"Which of these places would you want to visit in Melbourne and why?"

The contest closes on Jan 4th, 2015.

Good luck, folks!

Trust

A: Do you trust me?
B: Firstly answer me, do you trust your own decision? Do you trust yourself?
A: No, I'm never always sure about my decision and myself. But, that is not the question.
B: I don't know, maybe if you were confident I would have trusted you.
A: It hurts to know that there was never trust in our relationship.

Written for Lillie McFerrin Writes-Trust.

Castaway

He remembered her eyes, clear light-brown eyes. The twinkle of their beauty had always made him smile to himself when he would be alone. He would laugh and smile at her silliest of jests, in spite of being a morose such as himself. Why did he love her? He had tried to reason with the thought, but never found one. His love was above all reasons. They had decided to get married in the near future.

He looked away through the window. He did not have a girl friend or a family. It had been 10 years since she passed away. Cancer had brought on a copious bleeding and she had fallen on the floor and gone. Just like that. Her parents had informed him and he had rushed to her house. But stood just there, not daring to move another inch closer, struggling to vanquish a violent emotion. No, he did not want to see her in full form. Her eyes were just enough for the rest of his life. To live and to die at the same time.

It's hard to wait around for something you know might never happen; but its harder to give up when you know it's everything you want. - Unknown.

Written for Magpie Tales: mag 249

Hot

Burning hot sun smirked
As people complained of heat
"Fools, don't they need light?"

Written for Haiku Horizons: "hot"

Road safety is everyone's responsibility!

Image credit: Google

Nissan Safety Driving Forum (NSDF) has started an initiative for road safety in India. A very much needed initiative in the days of rising road traffic issues and the number of vehicles on the road. Road rages and lack of safe-driving-sense is a common sight in the current days. Many thanks to NSDF team for initiating a noble cause and I am glad to be a part of this responsibility.

Due to over-population and a need to have one’s own vehicle for comfort, India is seeing a sudden crescendo in the number of vehicles that are put on roads. Hence, management of road traffic and safety-driving have become key players in the current scenario. And this should start from every driver who takes charge of his own life and his fellows while on wheels.

The following points can help bring about road safety in India.

1. Get proper training from registered driving schools on how to ride a vehicle. Such institutes should not only teach how to drive a vehicle, but also educate a driver on various traffic signs and signals.
2. Proper use of indicators while taking any turn. I have observed many drivers who do not show indicator signals of their vehicles and suddenly take a right or a left turn disrupting the traffic flow behind them, while also leading to accidents.
3. Follow traffic rules. This would be the first and foremost rule for every driver and the Indian Government has always emphasized its importance on traffic rules. Violators must and should be penalised.
4. Avoid drinking and driving. Though there has been a constant emphasis on this point, many still take it lightly. There can be innumerable rules and checks by officials, to check for road safety, however, safety starts from you. It starts from every responsible driver.
5. Regular education of drivers. For example, every 3 years or so, there has to be a school that certifies every driver-citizen to drive safely. It has to be made compulsory along with driving license.
6. Wearing helmet while riding a two-wheeler. This provides protection from major injuries to head in case of accidents and prevents the person life-threatening dangers caused by road accidents.
7. Wearing seat-belts in a car. It has to be made compulsory for all the commuters in a car to avoid risks caused by an accident.
8. Proper road signals and signs displayed clearly and visibly. This helps the driver to notice the signs without missing them and guides him on the road for safety.
9. Do not rush on roads. If you are supposed to reach a place on time, start few minutes earlier than required. This avoids a mad rush on roads in traffic jams, road rages and quarrels.

Maybe, every citizen realizes his responsibility towards road safety. Amen!

Written for The Nissan Safety Driving Forum on Indiblogger.in.

No strings attached

Bond of Union, 1956, by M. C. Escher

They just sat in silence. Both of them. She had never felt so complete with any of the men she had dated previously. But, his company was different. There was strong lust once between them too like the others and she thought it was the only thing that held them together. But, after years of togetherness, their relationship had won. It had won over lust, greed, passion, hatred and whatever negatives she could think of. They were bound to each other with love and yet free. Time had really tested their bonding.

She smiled and thought, I guess it takes more than a teenage venture to experience this form of love. Pure, subtle and free in its form. Union of souls.

Written for Magpie Tales: mag 248.

Give

Oh mother nature!
How does it feel to only give?
And not ask returns?

Written for Haiku Horizons: "give"

Cleanliness #AbMontuBolega

Do you ever voluntarily like to eat at a restaurant which is as cluttered as any dirtied street of your city and pay the price of a fine-dining hotel? Plus, your medical bills for eating at such a filthy place?

Do you ever visit a burning yard of wastes and be happy about the smoke that it emits and the health hazards that it causes, and can it be worse when it is situated near your house?

If the answers to those questions is no, then why are we putting up with it silently?
I’m proud to take up this initiative to speak up about cleanliness-awareness. And that is what #AbMontuBolega Campaign is all about. Making your opinions about cleanliness audible to the concerned authorities, the Campaign has inspired us to take one step ahead. Yes, we do require such initiatives, because we cannot be silent spectators and allow the leaders and politicians to be laid back and relaxed when the whole nation is suffering in filth.

There are severe issues that require immediate attention. They are as follows:
1. Proper sewage and closed drainage pipes to be laid out in all areas. Solving this issue eliminates the primary problem of seepage of waste water into drinking water lines and thus in turn avoids health hazards.

2. Proper execution of segregation of wastes following which there have to be waste treatment plants to process the wastes.

3. Tarred or concrete roads to be laid out to minimize dust on the roads and avoid respiratory problems as vehicles pass by.

4. Your-house-your-cleanliness concept where every house takes charge of cleanliness around its own house. For example, we burst crackers during Deepavali and took up the responsibility to clean up all the burnt cracker remains and hand it over to the garbage collector the next day. We cannot wait for a corporation/municipality sweepers to come and clean for us.

5. The elimination of open drainage systems. It prevents the mixing of rain water and overflowing of drains during rainy days.

6. Plant trees in front of your house. Considering the Indian population and the rising housing projects, planting at least one tree per house makes much difference to the already polluted cities by reducing the carbon-di-oxide levels in the air, gifting us with oxygen-rich pure air. Also, more importantly, taking care to water these plants/trees to maintain them.

7. Stop dumping of wastes at residential places and burning of the same.

8. Maintained public bathroom and toilet facilities so that nobody  has to urinate or poop in open spaces. There are already such facilities in some areas, however their maintenance is at a pathetic state. Taking charge of their maintenance is another step further.

And as a basis of all these, for officials and volunteers to work for a system, they have to be corruption free. That is the filth at the basis which needs clearing up. There has been news that BBMP officials have many unpaid bills to many contractors. This amount account to many crores put together. There has to be purity in minds towards duty-consciousness. These culprits have to be found out and punished appropriately so that nobody follows their steps.

It pains to write that we are back to pre-Independence era. Then we used to fight external invaders (British) in our country. And today we fight against our own people whose minds have been invaded with corrupt, rapist thoughts.

I wish to see a country where no official is corrupt, no one offers or receives bribery and no girl sheds a tear just because she is born girl. And thanks to #AbMontuBolega Campaign http://www.abmontubolega.com/, as well as Strepsils (facebook)/ Strepsils (Twitter), for giving me an opportunity to voice my opinion.