That Little Face

How you try to fade,
that one little face,
and so you start a chase,
for a new one to replace.

Initially it works,
but in shadows the old one lurks,
and on one fine day,
keeping your assurances at bay;

it breaks those chains,
that little face comes again.
To look into your eyes,
and to ask the question why.

All you're able to say,
how agitated you stay;
'cause you're not mine,
so you had to draw a line.

But is that enough,
or, you just being tough?
Will you ever forget that face?
And you ask, to yourself...!

The Fading You

And thus draws the night dark nigh;
with that dies the hope high,
and as the clear day turns to gray;
only that old fear seems to stay.

Will this night be, one of those,
spent with questions, your memories pose;
while in my bed, I lay awake,
and with the imaginary you, talks I fake?

Or, is this going to be a simpler one;
where sleep will have a decent run,
and in my dreams you will come;
talking some, listening to some?

Night is dying, and I fear the dawn ahead;
like those dreams blur, will you fade?
Or, like those days of yore;
from your heart again, you'll pour?

Leaf...

He was walking, against the breeze,
in deep thinking, but having thoughts none;
when he heard a rustling and what he sees,
is you, O leaf! Forced down the road, undone.

Now all he could think of, was,
whether to be the wind, or just the leaf again;
carried by his life and the flaws,
trying, but not long before it goes down the drain.

The Daily Doze #6

Hope is like these crutches you have...they let you crawl...but eventually they wear out...then? Then you look for another one of those...ain't that right?

Must This All..., Remain the Same?

How the memories fade...,
but the bench remains the same;
How you try to overcome...,
but the pain remains the same.

How you try to run…,
but the pace remains the same;
How you try to cover…,
But the distance remains the same.

How you try to tell…,
but the story remains the same;
How you try to forget…,
but the song remains the same.

How you try to sleep…,
but the nights remain the same;
How you try to wake up…,
but the dreams remain the same.

How you try to acquaint…,
but the void remains the same;
How you try to let go…,
but the things remain the same.

How you try to cross…,
but the bridge remains the same;
How you try to undo…,
but the deeds remain the same.

How you try to look…,
but the face remains the same;
How you try to be numb…,
but the feelings remain the same.

How you try to meet…,
but the expectations remain the same;
How you try to hide..,
but the exposure remains the same.

How you try to steal…,
but the assets remain the same;
How you try to help…,
but the dispensability remains the same.

How you try to climb…,
but the height remains the same;
How you try to stand…,
but the enemies remain the same.

How you try to build…,
but the ruins remain the same;
How you try to destroy…,
but the number remains the same.

How you try to answer…,
but the questions remain the same;
How you try to surrender…,
but the conflict remains the same.

How you try to survive…,
but the situations don’t change;
How you try to change…,
but even you remain the same.

The Daily Doze #5

All it takes, is just a few words (or the lack of these), to make you a complete stranger. So you gotta know, what to say, when to say and to whom to say(sometimes you want to be a stranger....don't you?).

The Daily Doze #4

Nothing is permanent in this world...not your hate, your love, your happiness, your sadness...hell...not even your Gods(if you believe in one) for that matter!!

The Daily Doze #3

Thoughts and emotions are like waves...they come and go. Sometimes they wash something ashore..othertimes they just erode...taking something from you. But the important thing is...they always leave their footprints on you.

The Daily Doze #2

We are, what our fears make us.

The Daily Doze #1

Hope is like booze. It does give a feel good kick, but, the more of it, and the bigger are the chances of a hangover...!!

Some new songs: A noob's reviews

Why I am writing this? Let’s say I want to do some time pass and my usual pastimes are not holding much promise right now. So read on if you want to pass your time, else it is your choice...as usual.

So I was passing my time, sitting (well working to be exact...) at my desk in office and out of nowhere get a song recommendation, from someone I have stopped asking about it (..or anything else for that matter) long back(why?). So it was a surprise at the least. Anyway the song was "Tere Bina" from "Kal Kisne Dekha". Now, before we start this review business, let’s set the review criteria first.

1. The song should be a slow one,
2. Since it is a slow song, it should have strong lyrics support(coz you have a lot of time to think about the lyric),
3. Singing should be something more than ordinary(for dance numbers you can get away with ordinary singing, from the likes of singers, having Suroor in the wrong places :P), and,
4. Of course a good background score (which is pretty much required for all types of songs).

Since we are through with the logistics, let’s start the review (keeping in mind that these are my personal opinions ;)).

Tere Bina: Song topic is the age old one, missing someone. The song intro is pretty much OK and starts with "Tere Bina lagta nahi Mera Jiya", but loses the strong opening as soon as we head into the verses...mostly attributed to the fact of some poor lyric and some ordinary singing from the singer(come on, show your desperation in your voice…put some soul into it). One of the lines is "Marna Jo Chahoon Agar Toh Maut bhi Aati Nahi”, compare this with “Maut Meri Taraf Aane Lagi, Jaan Teri Taraf Jaane Lagi, Bol Shamein Judaai Kya Karen, I would prefer the latter any day (but then it is just me). The background score is good, with some haunting tunes in between to emphasize the haunting memories (really?). Overall, the song is average and you will forget it as soon as you get a better one.

So, as a response to this recommendation, I too decided to get my hands dirty, and went hunting for some good brand new songs. So what I have come up with...? Three songs...mind it (as in Rajni Sir's style :)), I was looking for slow songs.

1. Yeh Dooriyan(Kal Kissne Dekha),
2. Koshish Koshish(Let's Dance), and,
3. Jaana Hai(Let's Dance).

Yeh Dooriyan: This song also embraces the same theme of separation from someone and all...but the lyricist has taken a generalized approach in describing these prevailing distances (“Kyun Koi Paas Hai, Door Hai Kyun Koi, Jaane Na Koi Yahan Pe”), and it has come out good (at lest better than “Tere Bina”). The song is backed by some strong emotions reflected well in the singer’s voice, and some good plain background music. They have tried to stick to the basics and it has paid off (you will feel that more, when you listen to it 2-3 times).

Hmm...so now it’s the turn of the songs from Movie Let's Dance. To start with, I was pretty skeptical about this movie (the name itself is "Let's Dance" and not "Let's Sing", so forget about slow songs :P). And what a surprise...my hunt for the best of the bunch ended here...

Jaana Hai: So I read the name Jaana hai...ok he has to go somewhere...but where…? And the intro kicks in, "Ek Haath Khud ka Utha kar, Kandhe pe Apne Rakha hai"...now that is just enough to get all my attention, and it continues, "Haaregi Hamse Yeh Uljhan, Khud se Yeh Hamne Kaha Hai". If you can get the underlying meaning of the first line, you will definitely like this song (if you follow the same criteria as me). So let me not spoil the rest of the song for you. This song meets all my criteria set for slow songs. It is backed by some extraordinary lyrics, a very good background score, good chorus (and refrain), and last but not the least a very good lead singing (Kudos to Mohit).

Koshish Koshish: This song is also having the same characteristics as its predecessor. Here is how it opens..."Koshish Koshish, Katra Katra, Lamha Lamha Jee Le". Pretty good opening I would say. And believe me the verses don't disappoint either. You can't compare the two songs, both tell different stories, have different narrating styles...but still "Jaana Hai" is a clear winner as far as I'm concerned.

My Ratings :
Jaana Hai: (4.7/5) …well ain’t nobody perfect (or may be I expect too much :P)
Koshish Koshish: (4.0/5)
Yeh Dooriyan: (3.9/5)
Tere Bina: (3.7/5)
And don’t ask me how I have come to the actual rating figures, just some random figures; after all it’s my blog…ain’t it?

And what happened to the responses I was supposed to get for my recommendations…? Well I’m still waiting for one (may be that’s why…). So let’s conclude this review business with this thought provoking quote……

"Music expresses feeling and thought, without language; it was below and before speech, and it is above and beyond all words." ~Robert G. Ingersoll

*  Correction: The song "Yeh Dooriyan" is from movie "Love Aaj Kal". Thanks Grishma, for pointing that out. *

Of me...and you

of constant struggles...and the undying spirit,
of prevailing hope...and the failed expectations,
of inviting unrealities...and the bare truths,
of weakening will...and the promises kept,

of biting sarcasms...and the jovial talks,
of desperate wants...and the killed desires,
of selfish sharing...and the unwanted outcomes,
of strong memories...and the fading words,

of dull numbness...and the unspoken feelings,
of momentary chatters...and the long silences,
of forced seclusion...and the closeness felt,
of piercing quietness...and the inaudible shouts,

of concerned eyes...and those little smiles,
of habitual dormancy...and the long walks,
of innocent warmth...and the apparent coldness,
of inner knowing...and the uncertainties therein,

of bright opportunities...and the wrong choices,
of changing me...and you, O indifferent life,
this is the story.........

Broken Glasses...and much more!!

You know you have gone crazy when you try to write something for your broken glasses...or may be this is just a front for other things. Whatever be the case, lets not delve into those murky details, and leave the semantics to me. So, here it goes...

On a quiet peaceful day of May, which was not long gonna stay
circumstances did their part, and my glasses fell apart

Thee lay shattered on the ground, feeling all the eyes around
And I just left thee there, typical of an ungrateful kind

But now when I look through the haze, I recall those sunny days
And thy sway comes to the fore, if only I'd known before

Thee were the strength, thine was the authority
and thy was the lucidity, evinced in my mind

Thine were the insights, thy were the dreams
and thy was the light, reflected in my eyes

Thee were my mask, thee were my window
and thy is the comfort i am starving for

Life is not what it was, without thee;
a ray of hope in this despair were thee.

Thee have left me now...and the light is gone
but the kindling is still there
If someone could just match the sparkle, thee had for me...

Rain...

It is raining outside...
Behold thou earth, for the heavens cry for you.
Rejoice thou land, for those scars will be gone tomorrow.
But what about those barren lands inside...?
for all i can muster is just a few drops...!!

The Sleep Paradigm

At first you just lay there...thinking about nothing in particular...yawning in between, giving a green signal for sleep to come. And sometimes, just then you hear a constant faint sound in the backdrop of your thougths...the sound of your heartbeat. Your thoughts get a direction and thus starts the battle of wits...between your thoughts and the heartbeat sound...You lie awake, if the thoughts have the undivided attention of your mind...you go to sleep as and when thoughts start losing to the sound...The thing is, eventually it is heartbeats who always prevail...if not today then may be tomorrow or the day after...but what if someday the thoughts are raring to go and the heartbeats give up...have the thoughts really won this time? Who will decide? certainly not you...!!