jhikmik writes for you!

2011-09-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

Another 50 years of life awaits us at most
Live it large or your time will be lost
Why worry if people read your mind?
Take nothing serious – just let them find.
Express your love for the person you care
Don’t hold back! You have to dare!
What is the worst that can happen?
Death will come for all- all of a sudden
Let the pain run, let the blood ooze
Life is a journey, nothing to lose!!

Spiritual interaction

2011-09-28T10:00:00.001-07:00

I will come to you once my soul is free-
And no barrier separates you from me!
You may not see me with your open eyes;
Just close them and sever all earthly ties...

Feel the cool breeze touch your skin...
Be rest assured it is me unseen!!
When you worry or groan in pain-
Feel me throbbing inside your vein!!

When you cry or gently sigh,
Remember that love cannot die.
Be all cheerful, happy and gay,
‘Coz it’s your heart where I stay.

The eccentric path

2011-07-29T10:58:00.001-07:00

You may take the safest route
But I'll walk over the stone
I will tread upon the eccentric path
To reach the goal and groan.

Let me just dive into the ocean
And watch the creatures there
What's the point in going with the flow
Why cannot we dare?

You may stroll down the streets
And shop from every mall
I will rather write a poem
Beckon at nature's call.

I just want to break free
From the social stigmas here
While you put on your favorite lipstick
And ask your man to care.

Eccentric path is calling me
To explore life to the brim
Discover the mysteries of the world
And here unto I fulfill my dream!!

2011-07-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

Chole ja jetha-khushi, chere dilam tore
Dhore rakhbo kisher taane? kon bondhone?
Piche keno takabi tui? Peyechish jani shakti.
Paliye jodi mukti paash, dilam tore mukti!!

Pran er taane apni ashbi jodi thake kono taan
Ami aar tore dakbona fire, korbo na obhimaan
Ontore jodi thake kono prem, thaake kono somman
Fire tui thik ashbi abar, dhriro mor onumaan.

Never shall I let you go!

2010-12-18T00:41:00.000-08:00

Give me some love and I'll change the world

I'll bring you the moon from the heart of the sky;

Give me some love and I'll take you to a place

Where grief and sorrow will bid you goodbye!

Give me a chance to love you

And fill your heart with happiness.

Give me a chance to wipe away your tears

And bring a smile on your face.

Give me some hope that you'll always love

No matter what the circumstances be

Give me some hope that you'll stay forever

With none other than me!!

Smile- an ever-lasting smile!

2010-12-18T00:27:00.000-08:00

There was a time when I was sad

When I lost the smile which once I had

I always blamed it on my poor luck

And wondered what misfortune on me had struck!

There was a time when I cried for help

But found none other than me - myself

There were plenty of nights I couldn't sleep

How much I craved for a shoulder to weep!

But now I 've made a promise to myself

That I'll seek no shoulder, I'll seek no help

I'll face every problem with a smile

This is how I am, this is my style!

Even when things are not going fine

I promise to remain happy everytime

I am shredding away all worries and fear

I shall never again weep or shed a tear!

Kiss of death!

2010-12-18T00:07:00.000-08:00

Let me just dream in the sleep of death-

Let the cool breeze blow gently over my face,

Let calmness conquer every inch of my body,

As I slowly enter into the unknown world of fantasy!

A wish on the occassion of festival of colors

2010-02-28T05:06:00.000-08:00

May the colors enter your soul
And bring peace and tranquility in your life.
Wishing that you always look forward
And reach the conquest for which you strive.

May the blooming roses greet you each day
Just to make you feel how special you are
Remember there's someone always loving you
And praying for you from far!

If only I could die in that dream!!

2010-02-18T21:58:00.000-08:00

My eyes search for you in the darkness of the night;
May be this is wrong. May be this is right!
You came before me...I can't believe my eyes!
I gazed at you with hope and surprise!!

Your lips parted to give me a smile
Your beautiful eyes lingered on me awhile
I did not care whether it was a dream or not
All I thought was the joy it brought!

Could you not read my feelings for you?
Do you also love me as much as I do?
You said nothing, just gave me a hug
And I melted in your arms like a tiny little bug.

And then the sky roared and the rains poured
I burst into tears and my eyes sored
Let the rain fall, let the tears run
Let the pain subside to make me calm.

The pain I held was a stone in my heart
Never ever leave me, never ever part.
I love you lots and I have faith
If this was just a dream- I pray for death!

Story of a bee and a flower

2010-01-11T09:59:00.000-08:00

I know a little flower since the time she was just a bud. Although her petals were not so gorgeous and colorful as that of rose or lily, yet her scent was so intoxicating that all other flowers were jealous of her. The sweet fragrance of her nectar used to attract bees from long distances. However, due to the dull appearance of her petals bees used to hesitate sitting on her. A day came when a bee came to her, ignoring all the gorgeous-looking flowers in the near vicinity. It had traveled a long distance only in search of her, to take in the aroma of her sweet nectar.

Day by day, the bond between the bee and the flower became stronger and stronger. The flower started producing more nectar in order to feed that bee so that it does not return empty-handed while the bee appreciated her intoxicating fragrance and sweet nectar. Things were going nice and all the flowers used to envy them when all at once the bee stopped coming to her for nectar.

She waited and waited for him but there was no sign of him. The bee didn't even bother to tell her the reason. One day she spotted him sitting on another flower which was more colorful than her. The bee was praising that flower in the same way as he used to praise her. At that moment, her entire world seemed to fall apart. She started hating herself, felt like tearing away her dull petals. At that time, another bee came to console her. This time she was simply not ready to trust him. What if he cheats her like the former bee.

But this bee had no such intentions. He really liked the flower as it was, he didn't want to change a thing. He just wanted her to be happy and nothing else. He wanted nothing in return. He made her understand her importance, her hidden talents and made her realize that she has every quality to be considered as a gorgeous flower.

I have seen the flower recently while gardening. She looks beautiful now and her fragrance has become more appealing than before. She held her head high with confidence as the beam of sunlight bathed her entire body. With time, her petals have also started changing their color from dull yellow to attractive pink.

In the meantime, the bee who had estranged her noticed her changing into a pretty flower. He could not resist himself and approached the flower again repeating the same words as before. But this time, the flower was cold. She refused letting him feed on her nectar and quoted the following lines :
"All that glisters is not gold,
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life hath sold,
But my outside to behold:
Guilded tombs do worms enfold.
Had you been as wise as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgment old,
Your answer had not been inscroll'd:
Fare you well; your suit is cold."

Later her friend bee accompanied her for the rest of her life and they lived together happily ever after!

Arranged marriage: A curse in our society

2009-09-11T13:38:00.000-07:00

"Progress" is the word we utter every now and then. All of us would agree that we are progressing in various fields- be it science and technology, medicine or our standard of living. However, there are a few things which haven't changed since decades. Yes, I m talking about arranged marriages.

In an "Arranged marriage", the parents of the bride and groom are the ones who arrange the wedding. Previously, the bride could see her husband only after the wedding. Nowadays, the would-be bride and groom are permitted to hang around for a few days before tying the knot. This is the only progress in the field of arranged marriage till date. The prerequisites for such wedding remains exactly the same.

If you don't agree with me then check out the matrimonial column in any newspaper/magazine or any matrimonial websites. The essential criteria remains the same both for bride and groom.

CRITERIA FOR BRIDES:

Really pretty
Fair
Slim
Should be young (at least 6-10 years less than the groom)
Homely
Same caste

New additions are : a) Caste no bar
b) Education
c) Working lady
d) Smartness
But the first few criteria remains intact even today!!!

CRITERIA FOR GROOMS:

Good job (high salary)
Lots of money and property
Same or upper caste
Good family background

New additions are : a) Education

THE ULTIMATE DEAL CALLED ARRANGED MARRIAGE:

Unfortunately, our society still considers arranged marriage to be the best form of marriages. I would hate to call it "marriage". It is rather a kind of "deal". Even in love marriages we often find that the girl and the boy look out for the same criteria in their partners.

THE BASIS OF JUDGEMENT:

Even today, grooms are judged based on their salary and property while brides are judged based on their looks, stature and facial features.
Grooms are still at an advantageous position I should say! They at least have the opportunity to struggle and get a good job even if their families are not financially strong.

What about the bride? How can she change her looks in case she is not so beautiful? Cosmetic surgery remains the only solution and that too for a fairly high price- which only a few can afford.

Is this the correct way to judge a person?

My heart says " NO!!!". Do tell me what you people think of this. I do feel that girls who are not so beautiful (i am using the phrase "not so beautiful" instead of "ugly" because i believe every person on this earth is beautiful, it is only our outlook that we need to change!) face constant pressure from the society. We take it for granted that females should always look great, be slim, have the perfect height and fair complexion. What if she is fat, dark complexioned and short in height? She would have to face huge trouble to get married with a person of her choice even if she is highly educated, talented, honest, kind and have an esteemed career. In this respect, a good-looking girl even with no talents, little education will attract many suitors. Really the society is blind!! This reminds of an incident where i asked one of my friends why he had recently rejected a girl's marriage proposal? He replied "She was very dark and ugly, she could be my friend but not wife". I was amazed to hear this because he himself was also dark complexioned and fat yet he desired (demanded) a girl who would look as beautiful as Aishwarya Rai. So, no matter how bad the groom looks, the bride has to be pretty.......sounds as if God has a constant supply of good-looking girls. Some people also think that girls who are not pretty are not girls at all! If you are a female then you have to look beautiful in order to get married! I dont know why but this very thought boils up my blood!

As for the grooms, if they have a great career (good salary) then they are eligible to marry any lady of their choice. If he is doing a descent job but not earning enough to satisfy every demand of his wife, he is least likely to attract many woman for marriage. What if he is talented, good-looking, honest and caring? Money matters!.... Sounds as if girls are searching for ATM machines rather than husbands to marry!

So, at the end it is a deal or mutual contract (unsigned) between the husband and the wife- where the wife will look beautiful for her husband to satisfy his physical needs (perhaps that's the only criteria for most men) and give him the opportunity to boast for her beauty. The husband on the other hand acts like the ATM machine, ready to satisfy all the monetory rights and demands of his wife! Perhaps for some women it doesn't really matter whether their husbands love them or not as long as the money keeps coming!

I personally feel this practice is demoralizing the noble institution called "Marriage".

WHAT CAN BE THE SOLUTION?

I wonder whether the society will ever accept this but I feel a person, irrespective of the gender, should be treated as a human being first! If there is no compulsion for the groom to look good then there also should not be any compulsion upon the bride to look good. When we do not give much stress to the bride's occupation, we also should not give much stress to the groom's occupation also. Looks and money can never be the basis of choosing your life partner! I agree upon the fact that money is necessary to run a family.....what if both the partners work and earn their living? What if the wife earns more than her husband? I dont think any problem can arise in such a case except for the baseless manly ego which is, again, created by the society!

WHAT INSPIRES ME TO WRITE ON THIS TOPIC:

One of my friends (female) was recently informed about a prospectable groom who was a marine engineer and his family wanted a "brilliant" girl as their daughter-in-law. They asked for her photograph. Her photo was sent but no reply came. She didn't even got to see him or know about him except for the fact that he was some marine engineer and earning lots of money. This was not enough for her to know a person. There were various other things she wanted to know about him, whether he smokes or not, whether he has a descent personality or not and many more things. Perhaps for him, her looks was the only thing to judge her "brilliance" as there could be no other reason why she was rejected. She was good-looking however, but not as beautiful as an actress. She was educationally more qualified than him, was about to build her career, she was talented and had a good family background, her past record is also transparent as she never had an affair in her entire life. Being an educated girl, she felt extremely humiliated at the fact that she was not allowed to decide whether the groom himself was good enough for her or not. Instead a completely unknown person (the prospectable groom) saw her photograph and rejected her also and she didnot even get a glimpse of him! If marriage is for both men and women then why is the girl not given the option to choose her husband? Why only the man is declared as the chooser?

This incident inspired me to write on this topic- arranged marriage: a long practiced ritual that has no basis!

Purpose in life (contd.)

2009-02-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

[...contd] We all know that one day we have to die, yet we engage ourselves in silly pleasures of life. We literally waste our valuable time by brooding over silly day-to-day matters such as "what happened in the office today?", "I have to teach my colleague a lesson tomorrow", "I have to beat my friend in the next exam" and bla bla bla. By scoring a good percentage in the board exams we often start thinking ourselves as something "beyond the world". By getting a job of high salary, we start disregarding and underestimating other people. When we possess money, we think ourselves as the ruler of this world. Ironically, birth and death waits for none. It is this basic thing which unites us all. The only difference is that poor people cannot sponsor a grand funeral ceremony while for rich people it is different. Everyday we argue and misbehave with the rickshaw-puller, hawkers and cobblers for a few rupees. Did we ever imagine how hectic life would have been had they not done their job properly? Who would have taken us so quickly to the bus stop in the scorching heat if there was no rickshaw-puller? From whom could we buy the vegetables if there was no hawker? Who would have mended our shoes if it needed a stitch and there was no cobbler?

what is the purpose of my life?

2009-02-11T09:01:00.000-08:00

I am not writing this article based on my own life but this is just a humble try to instigate in the minds of readers the true purpose of our lives. Day by day, we are stuffing our minds with materialistic thoughts....thoughts related to jobs, exams, competition, jealousy, hatred and politics. More we detach ourselves from nature, more depressed we get due to stress, tension, fear of failure and what not! In the midst of all these useless thoughts we often forget our own existence. Tell me frankly, do u remember the last time that you visited the terrace to get a clear view of the night sky? Possibly, No. So, just imagine our condition. We are gradually turning into biological robots which has only one purpose in life - "How to earn more money and live luxuriously!" Is earning money the basic purpose of life? I had once asked one of my relatives, a millionaire to know whether he is satisfied with all the money he has. To my astonishment, his answer was a "No". I remember a song by Satyajit Ray that says "Even a billionaire can never be fully satisfied in his life". I m now fully convinced about this. However, the question is what is the magical formula that can bring peace in our lives? Buddha had said "sacrifice is the path to peace". This might sound hilarious to some people but practically speaking this is absolutely true. More the wealth you have, more you will fear of losing it and this will surely disturb your mental peace. However, for a person who has only the vital requirements - food, clothing n shelter to sustain life can achieve peace as he has no fear to lose. I will continue with this topic in my next article.