Dilli Meri Jaan

 

                   Delhi has a little of everything and there is hardly anything that you can not find here. It's a foodie's heaven thanks to the Karim's and all, a techie's hub with epicenter at Nehru Place, a shopper's dream run from SN to Chandni Chowk and a gold mine for history buffs like me with historical marvels scattered all over the place. Delhi's history can be traced beyond years we can recall but the good thing is that they left behind the architectural marvels for us to be amazed. Delhi may be a metropolitan city from it's face but will always be a historical masterpiece at it's heart. Here is what the city looked like way back in 1857.

         Walled City of Delhi now known as Old Delhi.                                         Red Fort in All it's Glory.

                  Then came up the Lutyen's Delhi or The New Delhi as we know it now. Here is an aerial view of the birth of the modern Delhi. You can see the India Gate also if you look closely.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan, The Parliament House, Cannaught Place and The India Gate.

                  There are places where you can find solitude amidst the chaos, infact there are many. Delhi is not just about old forts and ruins but it is studded with modern architectural marvels too if you were wondering.

Lotus Temple

Jama Masjid

Humayun's Tomb

Akshardham Temple

                 Delhi is like that shy kid of the class, you have to be his friend to know how much fun he can be. So just join in and enjoy the ride.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

मेरी पहली काव्य रचना : Gratitude #HugYourDad

            

                My parents have always been my inspiration and I am glad you asked me about it. My father's righteousness, dedication & sincerity for his work and his simplicity has been the benchmark I have been striving to achieve. He talks less but says a lot. His role and responsibilities have been on a shape-shifting spree for a while and has evolved a lot since my beloved mother passed away few tears back. My parent's scuffle with time and adversities have provided us with a decent platform where we can chase our dreams and be free. Although any words would be insufficient to express my gratitude but I tried nevertheless. I penned this poem down in an attempt to pay a tribute to my wonderful parents and presented it to them when I returned home after completing my MBBS, which happened to be my father's birthday too...1st of january, 2009. It is not just a poem but a conglomeration of emotions which can hardly be put in words. Worthy or not, but here it is...my very first poem...#Gratitude #LoveMyParents

के अब ये सफ़र बीत जाने को है,  के अब ये कारवाँ मंज़िल पाने को है...

 यूँ तो ये राह आसां न थी,  के  छू लूँ आसमान....बस इसी होड़ में था,

पर लगने न पाया पाँव में काँटा भी कोई, क्यूंकी मैं तो आपकी गोद में था,

सींचा न होता....गर प्यार से इस जीवन को,  सच्चे मोती की तरह....गर सँवारा न होता,

तो होता न महरबाँ....भगवान भी मुझपर,  गर मेरे हाथों को आपकी उंगली का सहारा न होता,

शाखों पे फूल सा खिलाया इस जीवन को, कैसे सम्भव  ये एक बीज से होता,

गर शुरू करता मैं उसी शून्य से, तो आज....यहाँ न होता,

कहते हैं वो बसा कण-कण में है,  पर मैने उसे बस आप ही में पाया है,

पाऊँ हर जन्म में बस आप ही को,  गर करे क़रम...वो जिसने हमें बनाया है,

के अब साथ मिलकर चलना है, और आगे बढ़ते जाना है,

इस मशाल को बुलंद कर, अनंत दीपों को जलना है,

के अगाज़ है ये एक नये सफ़र का,  जिसमें खुशियाँ  हैं.....विलास है,

के मंज़िलों में क्या रखा है, गर हर राह में अपनों का साथ है...विश्वास है....

                         I am sure it stands true for all the parents of this world and it would be my pleasure to share this poem with each one of them. I hope you can help me in this endeavor. The best gift we can give to our parents is to be there for them when they need us the most. They have been doing it all their life for us, it's our turn now. Let's us gift some smiles this father's day...and let them know that we love them as much as they do. Hope you like it and your parents like it too...

This father’s day, I am expressing my love towards my dad by participating in the #HugYourDad activity at BlogAdda in association with Vicks.

" ॐ " #QuestionsForGod

God helps those who help themselves. So, we should just try to find answers ourselves and not wait for someone else, not even GOD to do it for us. I am not being an atheist but just practical.  Having a question is not a bad thing but being preoccupied with raising new queries is bound to limit your capabilities.

 

" There are so many things I do not understand, so many I cannot explain,

So many uncertainties and so much pain,

A scruple about somethings and a question that resurfaces ever again,

But there is one thing I do not want, just one thing I choose to refrain,

Don’t ask HIM everything, just the strength to rise again,

If we are true enough to the cause, there is nothing we cannot attain…"

God is here to help us all and I am sure he knows his job well. He will answer all our calls if we can prove ourselves worthy of it and instead of asking questions, we should just thank him.

" करके फ़रियाद जाने क्यूँ उसे शर्मिंदा किया करते हैं, ख़बर जिसे हर राज़-ए-दिल की है,

के हर कामयाबी चूमेगी ख़ुद ही कदम, गर हम उनके क़ाबिल भी हैं..."

 

This post was created for indispire Do you have questions for God? #QuestionsForGod

सुहाना सफ़र : #LiveLodgycal

" To be free, is to travel "
                       - Anonymous

If you travel far enough, you might meet yourself and if you are driving a car as awesome as #Lodgy,  you are already half way through. Choosing a car that allows you to take everything that you hold close to your heart on the journey of your dreams is like winning the best pole position before you get to start the race. Hitting the road to travel the uncharted is astounding in itself but cruising with the best of buddies can make any journey worth taking. No journey can meet it's destination without friends and with best friends(1) destination doesn't even matter. 

 " Not all those who wander are lost "

                                          -J.R.R. Tolkien

The fun-meter hits the zenith when each one of them can travel together in the same buggy i.e. all eight of us in my case. The cool breeze flowing through our hairs resurrects the singer sleeping deep down in our hearts. Soon enough you can hear each one of us singing aloud at the peak of our pure tones and that includes the car too. Getting your phone and gadgets(2) sing through the car takes it one step further. We are ourselves perpetually charged on a trip like this but car takes care of the gadgets. The nonpareil journeys are always the random ones. 

 " I don't know where I am going, but I am on my way. "

                                                                     -Carl Sagan

It's not just about going places but having the best stopovers too and only the best of food can stop us. All the dieting goes down the drain and the feasting joins the fun. Delicious food can't stay away from us for long. The best of food in a serene backdrop can make anyone's day and for foodies like us, cooking is more fun than just eating it. With a boot space as huge as #Lodgy's, we can carry everything(3) we need to create magic on the go. What's more fun than celebrating a birthday or an anniversary at the stroke of the midnight wherever  you are, you just need to carry the party with you and cruise...Our heart craves fun but mind seeks only peace(4). All the quintessential comforts and impeccable safety features not only elevates the driving experience but makes you feel safe too. The smallest of things like flight trays can make a big difference. The last but not the least is the desire to keep going on(5) and on. 

 " I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list. "

                                                       -Susan Sontag

It's an escapade where we learn new things, meet new people, make new choices and create legacy on our way to eternal bliss, just like #Renault has been doing for more than 100 years now.

I’m participating in the #LiveLodgycal contest with Renault in association with BlogAdda to get a chance to be a part of the #LiveLodgycal Drive in Goa.

उड़ान : #TheFinishLine

"A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve,

 not by the desire to beat others"

                                                                                   

                                                           -Ayn Rand

                  True indeed...a creative man only seeks to explore the vast expanse of possibilities and imbibe them to keep his ingenuity alive. What we can achieve with creativity is impossible to define and that’s the beauty of it. There can never be a finish line for imagination because every time innovation meets   accomplishment, inspiration is born.  Inspiration... that invigorates the  chain of creative ideas, a chronology... that sustains itself if fed with passion. Just let me be with myself and let the creativity flow...

उड़ने दो मेरे सपनों को, के घर इनका आकाश है,

मत जकड़ो इन्हें लकीरों में, के ध्येय इनका बस तलाश है;

 इनके जानिब संतोष नहीं, के हँसती इनकी कुछ ख़ास है,

मंज़िल से इनका क्या नाता , इनको चलने की प्यास है;

 के मंज़िल में क्या रखा है, गर सफ़र पे अपने नाज़ है,

 गीत कई गुनगुनाने हैं अभी, और समय ही अपना साज़ है...

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

Smelling Horror... #MyNoseKnows

                 The night was unusually cold and gloomy. I was sitting on the back seat of my 19 days old maruti alto which was gliding past the relatively thin traffic. I could feel  the  chill of the breeze slowly going down my spine as it was flowing through my  perfectly set hair . A sweet voice asked me to close the slightly open window and I complied. It was a short journey and we finally reached the destination well before expected. The door sprung open with the slightest of my efforts as if I have always known telekinesis. I stepped out of the car. It was dark and foggy as the hour hand might just have swung past the niner. I was not confused but couldn’t figure out if I was elated or desolate. It felt like  I could sense  the dementors in proximity. I looked at the old building standing barely 100 feet from me. I was  expecting a déjà vu here but  I could hardly recognize this  place. There sat an old man at the entrance stooping over fire and covered in woolen clothes from scalp to toe trying desperately  to balance between keeping himself warm  and not catching fire. We walked past him and went up the stairs to the  first floor. Each one of us was holding a bag or something in our stiff hands. We went straight for the room for which I already had the key. Just a few steps across the empty corridor and we were facing the grayish blue door. It was room no. 94 but it was not supposed to be open. I was holding the key anxiously but there was nothing  to unlock. We exchanged a vacant stare  each and then I knocked the door hesitantly still holding the key in my hand. There was no reply...I waited and knocked again. A young man answered this time...”kaun hai be”. I ignored the carelessly demotic tone and answered...’its me , Amit’.  A decent looking young boy opened the door, greeted us all and invited inside. I inspected the room from outside the door and the stepped inside careful enough to put the right foot first. The moment I invaded the young boy’s habitat I knew something was not right. I took a step further anyway...but as I ventured deeper into his abode I felt a strong force against my nares as if I was being smothered. I could sense the choking but seemed helpless as if someone has sucked all the oxygen out of the room instantaneously. I could feel my nasal hairs burning with the intense noxious smell creeping up my nose. I was trying to hold onto anything I could reach and  fight the vigorous desire to stop breathing and drop dead  when I noticed the bare feet of the supposedly innocent boy who turned out to be the daemon here. His feet were still wet with sweat and the soggy socks and shoes unarguably dipped in basilisk venom were lying just 5 feet away. I gathered my senses and ran for the balcony door and rushed it open. The next moment I was literally hanging from the dilapidated railings for a breath or two. A gush of fresh air felt like a stroll in the heaven itself. After resuscitating myself, I came back for my parents and was relieved to see they were all coming to senses. We were saved this time with what could only be described as divine intervention and It was only surprising how a manageable event like shifting  into my very first hostel room during first year of my MBBS turned into an ordeal. Only god knows what I went through or may be ‘My Nose Knows’...

I am sharing my odor story for the ‘My Nose Knows’ contest as a part of the  #SniffSniff activity at BlogAdda.