All for the sake of the Stomach!

21st March, 2003 - Friday:

It was my utter foolishness! I had gone without Lunch that afternoon, probably because I was a little worried about my Final Exams. And, after finishing to write my paper that day, I had a Veg Burger and some Cold Coffee. And then, for some reason, I decide to skip Dinner too. God knows why! So, what had I had that day?

1. 3 Cups of Tea.
2. 4 Slices of Bread (Breakfast)
3. 1 Veg Burger.
3. 1 Mug of Cold Coffee.
4. 1 Mug of Warm Milk (Dinner)

One may certainly feel that it was enough to sustain a Human Body for a Day. Well, that's not enough for me!

And that night, as expected, I grew hungry. Hungry beyond control. I drank lots of water. And as luck would have it, my stock of cookies and other snack was over too! I decided to try those Ayurvedic Cough Drops. If only I knew that they act as Appetizers!!

I did not have a phone in those days, and so I couldn't even call for food to be delivered at my doorstep. And the kind of relationship I shared with my landlady, I couldn't even turn to her at that hour of need. Poor thing, she had offered me Lunch that afternoon. But I just looked the other way!

I even tried to compromise with my Vegitarianism. Luckily, there was no animal around that time! Desperate for a morsel, I ran to the Balcony of my Paying Guest Accomodation, which was on the First Floor. I could see my Two-wheeler parked right across. Out of sheer hungry desperation, I decided to jump or climb down with a rope. (Bollywood had always been an overdoze with me!) But, I couldn't. I had another Exam the next day. It was too much of a risk. But my stomach was screaming at the same time!

At that moment a weird thought crossed my mind. I thought, if a girl like me who is comfortably well off, and probably facing such a crisis for the first time in her life, could act so desperately, (desperate enought to risk her limbs trying to jump off her balcony for food!), then imagine the millions of people who go without food everyday! Aren't their acts, in a way, justified? People steal, people kill. Is that all for the sake of Stomach?

The hunger in your belly can really make you do strange things. Why do we live? Why do we eat? Do we eat to live, or live to eat? Well, that night I did live to eat. And as I was thinking about all these things, I started chewing a few pieces of paper that were lying on my desk! The hunger in your tummy can make you act like a Donkey too!

It is all for the sake of stomach, NO DOUBT!

You think you have heard this before…

You think you have heard this before…
And you try to sing along….

Deep in those dark eyes…the moisture is spreading….
Seeping into every brick of the wall that was once built…

The song that you hum today…. the song you want to sing along…
As the raindrops pour in…. and the breeze that fills the room….

The corridor that leads to the room…moans with the thunder…
The thunder that rocks the breeze…as the breeze tries to break free….

The broken frames…that cracked up all the dreams….
The dreams that were woven…but never stitched together….

Wrecked wood that once furnished the room…sobs in one corner…
The song and its rhythm…want you to sing along…

Those hands that were once held…those eyes that once met…
Those lips that kissed good mornings…and good nights…

The wrinkles on the bed-spread…the damp pillows…
The scent of all the love that was made…wants you to sing along….

So, if you think you’ve heard this before…
And you want to sing along…

Open those lips that once kissed good mornings…and good nights…
And just sing along….

The Opening Note...

I'm not a blogger! Or rather, I'd call myself a recent convert. I keep reading about blogs by Amitabh, Salman and other biggies. But have never read one myself. My good friend Malay kept sending me links to his blog full of poetry and prose, and I would lie to him saying that I read it, when in fact, I never have.

So I know, not many people would read this, perhaps. Or better still, not many people would want to read this. I received an email from a friend, Roy, who seems to be a a regular blogger. You can check out his, (what is it called?) Blog page (??) here http://royarya.blogspot.com/

He wrote: "Hey Archana,
Actually I'm running web- blog where I publish women empowering success story.
I was thinking, why not I publish your story.
I know you are thinking, "My story? Come on!"
Yes. Look, being away from home, just to follow your dream & living with it – isn't easy task dear.
It takes guts to live with own dream, and you're doing it. You're listening to your instinct ... believing it … following it. It speaks volume."

I had never thought of this before. I had never seen myself that way. Yes, I am a woman. Yes, I live away from home. Yes, I am following something...(can I call it a Dream?). And hell ya, I am instinctive! That's the word. I have done many crazy things. And I want to continue doing them.

I have been away from home for over 6 years now. Wow, I never thought about that till this morning. I was 17 when I left home. Ok, stop calculating! I am 23 today! And I have been working in Mumbai since May 2007. And what have I achieved? I really can't say. What have a lost? Lots!

But let's not get into all that and make this blog morbid! What Roy wants me to say is that, as a woman, or let's put it this way, as an Independent Woman, I have kind of broken lots of shackles that are still there in the minds of a lot of people in our so-called Civil Society, regarding the Girl Child. But thankfully, my family (My Ma and Pa), have been really really supportive. I always tell my friends, "I was not brought up in a cage, neither was I left in the Wild. I was brought up in a Sanctuary! Where I had the freedom to roam around, and also the security from the proverbial poachers and hunters!"

And today, I am on my own. Making my own decisions. Making mistakes, and learning from them. (Or so I would like to believe!) Falling in Love (fell so bad that I got really bruised!), or at times rising in it! Ever complaining, but hopeful, nonetheless! Struggling to survive, or splurging to celebrate odd moments of joy! Doing a good job, or screwing it up! I am THAT and THAT is ME! And not to forget, I am back to writing. But I am sorry Roy! The credit doesn't go to you for that! There is another person, who brought me back to writing! And this one is for him!

And finally, to quote, Alanis Morrissette: (Nups, thanks for introducing me to this song! It shall always remain our song! I really hope, it shall not remain our Story for ever, though!)

I'm broke but I'm happy
I'm poor but I'm kind
I'm short but I'm healthy, yeah
I'm high but I'm grounded
I'm sane but I'm overwhelmed
I'm lost but I'm hopeful baby
What it all comes down to
Is that everything's gonna be fine fine fine
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving a high five

I feel drunk but I'm sober
I'm young and I'm underpaid
I'm tired but I'm working, yeah
I care but I'm worthless
I'm here but I'm really gone
I'm wrong and I'm sorry baby
What it all comes down to
Is that everything's gonna be quite alright
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is flicking a cigarette

What it all comes down to
Is that I haven't got it all figured out just yet
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving the peace sign

I'm free but I'm focused
I'm green but I'm wise
I'm shy but I'm friendly baby
I'm sad but I'm laughing
I'm brave but I'm chicken shit
I'm sick but I'm pretty baby
And what it all boils down to
Is that no one's really got it figured out just yet
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is playing the piano

What it all comes down to my friends
Is that everything's just fine fine fine
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is hailing a taxicab...

So, till next time...

So Long...

To whoever has managed to survive this ordeal!

Smiley --> :-)