Thursday, May 22, 2014

That thing called “Love”

I have no other motivation of penning my thoughts down about love, apart from the fact that someone close to me told me that I can actually write a book on it J

As a kid I have grown up in the era of “Yash Raj Chopra” and had started believing in this fairy tale that someone loves you, you love him and then there is a perfect ending. Now I wonder why none of those stories ever mentioned about heart breaks, disloyalty and disrespect in love.
Few months back when I heard from him that I really don’t know what love is, and you deserve someone far better then me, I did have tears in my eyes. But all I could do is hug him, tell him it is over and this is the best birthday gift I could ever give to me. And then began my story of exploring myself and experiencing what love truly is.

We started dating long back, 6 years to be precise, when he held my hands in between the group of students at Career Launchers and asked me when I would meet him next. Like any girl, I was flattered by this importance and his killer smile, which now i term as kamini smile. We met, we spoke and I fell in love, I cannot use the word “we” here as I am now sure he never did. Suddenly the girl in me who wanted to do something in life, who had high aims, took a back seat and a domesticated and docile one overtook. Decision, choices and even friends that I made were either influenced by him or his liking. Like a typical Indian housewife, I learnt his routine and everything that would make him happy.

Six years were not that easy and I am sure all my friends would agree if I say I was too blind in love. I overlooked all his mistakes, all his gallis, all his dominance and that just became what I never was. I lost my confidence, I lost my voice, my inner voice and it was then that life became a mess.

It was last September, when I was not able to go for his birthday, that I had this dream that someone loved me and wants to be with we forever not at all bothered of what my past was. Frankly, I wanted to end this relationship two years back but something stopped me. I never shifted to Pune, maybe I was sure that things would not work between us ever. I feared of being completely dependent of him coz his hands never held me when I needed him the most. He was actually never there for me, was too engrossed in his own life and can be other girls too. But this dream changed something in me. It gave me a hope that no matter how bad things can be without him, it would always be better than being with him. So a month after, on my birthday, I freed myself of this burden called one sided love.

Things were not easy post that, I cried every day, I wanted to talk to someone, but whom? I had lost my friends, I had lied to my parents and I had disrespected myself. But then I started opening up to new people around me. It had been just one month that I had joined Adfactors and this happened. But somewhere my own strength inspired others around me and they too in turn just provided me all their ears and motivation.
I left Mumbai just to spend as time as I can with the people I had neglected the most during my relation “My Parents”. Irony was I could not hug them and cry, tell them that I am broken and how much I was sorry for breaking their trust. But as usual I resorted to this method of spreading happiness so that I could be happy and so would my parents by seeing me happy. I opened up; I took a long break, met people, and met relatives. Gave them my ears, gave them my time, understood them, motivated them and then suddenly life became beautiful. I figured myself out. I started taking risk and voicing out my beliefs. I got me back. I got my dreams back. So today I write this blog sitting at my home in Mumbai, with only my dreams and a vision to make them a reality.

Coming back to love, yes I still love him and would always cherish the moment we spent together but no way I want go back to him again. I have not lost my faith in love coz I know that I just loved a wrong person and that doesn’t stop me from risking again and falling for the right one. Yes, now I would not lose myself in love coz I believe that “True love never lets you down, it nourishes you”. My love for him was true and that is why today I could confidently face him and tell him I am happy and just want to see you happy always.

I see those eyes that miss being cared and loved but those lips could not utter a single word. But this is life. You have made me very strong and I appreciate that.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Mumbai Meri Jaan



Two weeks back I had planned a random shopping visit to Mumbai from Surat with my cousin. I got down from the train at Mumbai Central. While was walking out of the station dragging my luggage, Taxi drivers came in a herd and started asking "Kahna jana hai madam". I stood there and looked at the signage in front of the queue; it read pre-paid taxi. So without a word I looked at my cousin and started walking towards the main road and the taxi drivers kept following.

Tired of pulling the luggage and the voices around me, I stopped again and said "Bhaiya Shivaji Park jana hai, Dadar West par meter se." As expected, most if the taxi drivers just walked off but the remaining few kept pestering me saying, "Madam 350 de dena, saaman bhi hai." I stuck to my decision and started walking when of the taxi driver agreed but I had to pay him 20 rupees extra for luggage, which was fine. So here I was in Mumbai.

When I completed my MBA and started working here, with hardly any salary to survive in the city, I was naive. I never bargained or argued on anything. I thoughtlessly paid money. Indeed people would always smile at me after every transaction thinking kya ullu banaya.

Today I smile at that me. Living or Surviving in Mumbai, though was difficult initially, had made me strong and had given me my voice to ask for what is right. People say Mumbai mein jo reh gaya who kahin bhi adjust ho jata hai, true in a way. Mumbai, more than a city of dream, has been my teacher...My teacher for Life. So despite of me leaving the city, I keep on visiting there and now I am actually reconsidering my decision. May be this is my way of expressing my gratitude to what the city has made me today.... "Mumbai meri jaan"