Dream Forlorn #Sonnet

Did you know that the Sonnet is a poetic form that originated in Italy?

It is derived from the Italian word, "Sonetto".

All of us must have heard of the Shakespearean Sonnet. A sonnet is a fourteen lined Poem that follows a strict Rhyme Scheme. The Italian Sonnets followed a different rhyme scheme, while the Shakespearean Sonnet followed another.

I tried my hands on the Italian Sonnet rhyme scheme which is a-b-b-a-a-b-b-a-c-d-e-c-d-e.

Intense, the emotions I wish to subdue (a)

Imagining a world so calm and serene (b)*

I lay in the pasture, wide and green (b)*

Immersed in a daydream, world I bid adieu (a)

Innate my desires, Ah the mind too shrew (a)

Incognito I wander in my kingdom like a queen (b)*

Indifferent of the sphere, nowhere to be seen (b)*

In this time, the soul yearns to be born anew (a)

Infatuated I walk, into that garden so dense (c)**

Incessantly with no rest, driven by instinct (d)***

Into the wild, am I lost with no retreat (e)****

Instantly, courage I gather, covering my pretense (c)**

Infected with sweat, Illusions become extinct, (d)***

Inherently awakened, the morning I greet (e)****

I went through a website called  DailyPost, where they provide 365 writing prompts in an ebook format. You can download it from here.

The prompt for October 1st is - 

Fearful symmetry 

Pick a letter, any letter. Now, write a story, poem, or post in which every line starts with that letter.

I have written a Sonnet in which every line begins with the letter "I".

*************** 

I am a Write Tribe ProBlogger with a commitment to write as frequently as I can.

The Dandiya time #Navratri

India is considered to be a land of varied cultures, traditions, religions and heritage. Every Indian takes pride in stating that we that live in a country that respects everyone’s sentiments. Muslims,  Hindus, Christians,  Parsis, Jews,  Buddhists are alike and we live in apartments where one neighbor would be of a different religion and the other of another. Inspite of being a Christian, I light Diyas(lamps) outside my home every Diwali. For me Diwali is a festival of lights. I love the way every house is decorated with lamps on every nook and corner.

The reason why I began writing about the unity is diversity was because of a recent festival I participated in, last Saturday. It was my Mom’s birthday on Friday and invariantly I just needed a reason to go to my mother’s place in Pune. Mumbai(Where I live in) is just a 3 and a half hour drive to Pune which makes it all the more easier. My Husband and I drove down on Friday night to spend the evening with my mother and make her feel special.

She had informed me of a Dandiya Night that was supposed to be hosted in our society for which she had been practicing since a week. I was excited as it had been years since I had played Dandiya.

Dressed in my best attire, I joined the platoon that was dressed in bright coloured ghagra cholis. 

The show lasted for around two and a half hours and by the end of it I was exhausted. There were prizes for different age groups and those who were best dressed and danced the best were awarded. It was a public gathering and all of them were equally elated.

As I went back to sleep that day with soared feet, I thought of the evening. The way the festival had brought together people of different age groups under one single roof was marvelous. It was just another break from the monotonous life that we live in. Such kind of social gatherings and events attract people and this is something that keeps our country united. I felt proud. Isn't it great how people join hands to celebrate festivals? 

My Mom and Me.
 Copyright +Cynthia Vincent 

As for me, as the dandiya season is about to get over, I can’t wait for it to arrive next year.

I am a Write Tribe ProBlogger with a commitment to myself to write as frequently as I can.

#Five sentence Fiction - Commotion & Confusion!!

A five sentence fiction inspired by the prompt

"Confusion"

Lillie McFerrin Writes

*************

Hither and tither, it flew around creating a ruckus.

I jumped high and low, from sofa to chair.

I wished I had wings like it and shrunk in size to get inside every hole and pillar.

In confusion, I screamed pulling down every corner of the house.

After a long struggle, I managed to spring and catch it tight; it wriggled in my hands, the MOTH that was little and tiny.

*************

I am a Write Tribe ProBlogger with a commitment to myself to write as frequently as I can.

Last night in Venice ....#When I met a stranger.

Venice, one of the most romantic cities in the world and surprises you with every step you take. You will find yourself locked in a maze of similar looking streets and bridges. There are no traffic signals in this city and no automobiles as well. To talk about this fascinating city would require an entire blog post. But there was something else that has made Venice special for us. There was another incident that sunk in so deeply and will always be in our memories for years to come.

Copyright +Cynthia Vincent 

On the last night of our honeymoon to Italy, my husband and I had planned to attend a live Orchestra which is considered to be a shame if not witnessed while it Venice. We booked our tickets in the morning and after our visit to the great St. Mark's Cathedral and Doge's palace we walked to the place where the orchestra was supposed to be conducted. There was a huge queue standing outside since the gates hadn't opened yet. We joined to queue and waited for around 10 minutes. After a while, we found a couple standing in front of us who requested us to click a photo of theirs. I was busy in a phone call and my husband did the honours of clicking a picture. 

They thanked us and began a conversation by asking us where were we from. We told them that we were from India and we got to know that they were from the USA. They told us that they were touring Europe and it had been around three weeks since they were out of home. On telling them that we were on our honeymoon we got to know that John and Joanna were married for 6 years. We were surprised as it contradicted the assumption we have of Americans that they do not have long-term relationships. Thanks to the hollywood superhits that brief us on this subject n-number of times. 

Copyright +Cynthia Vincent 

The gates for the Orchestra had opened and we took our seats. For the first time, we had witnessed a live orchestra of 7 violinists. The Orchestra lasted for an hour and a half and left us swaying to its tune for even longer.

 As we began to leave the hall, John and Joanna came up to us and asked us if we wished to join them for dinner. We were overwhelmed. I always had a fetish to meet new people and get to know about them. Maybe it's the writer instinct in me that makes me inquisitive and curious. We walked into a small restaurant on  Campo Manin. 

We ordered food and since it was the finals of the Fifa world cup that day we were excited to hear the news as well. We talked about the different cultures we were brought up in. I realized that Joanna came from a very close knit family and both of them valued the relationships they shared with their parents. We found that our upbringing was nothing different. They spoke about how difficult the first year of their marriage was and advised us on making it an effort to work out the differences in married life that may arise after a period of time. 

Joanna spoke about her love for bollywood movies and how much she loved watching the dances on bollywood numbers. We told them about Mumbai and asked them to visit us soon. 

We spent an hour and a half talking and finally got up to leave as we had to catch the flight back to India the next day. As for them, they were heading towards Rome. On the way back to India, I realised that there was no other better way to end our honeymoon. We met a couple hail from a place (where we thought relationships are taken for granted) living together for so long and making it an effort to live in harmony. They were the best example for a newly married couple like us. Ever since we are back, there have been times when things may not have been the way it should be between my husband and me, but in those times I remember our friends John and Joanna and the example they set before us. 

Copyright @Cynthia Vincent

It's true that many a times we meet strangers to whom we are reluctant to open up, but when they become a part of our lives, they become so special. I still continue to message Joanna over facebook and we still continue to share our experiences. 

Wishing them the best in life always!! Love you guys and thank you so much for asking us to click your picture on the last evening in Venice. 

Copyright +Cynthia Vincent 

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

Red, Blue, Green, Yellow…. Shoot em’ all!! #Friday Fictioneers

“The red one, dad”, my son squeaked, bringing back all the memories that flooded deep within.

It had been a year since dad had left us and gone.

He had seen me become a father.

Today as I stand near the shooting balloons game on the beach, I think of him again.

PHOTO credits Copyright – Marie Gail Stratford

All the Saturday evenings that I spent playing this game with him flash before me.

It takes me to the day before he died. He had caught me drinking in depression. 

A promise he took from me and breathed his last. The balloons looked similar to stacked bottles. 

This is a 100 word fiction written for the Friday Fictioneers brought about by Rochelle Wisoff- Click here to read the prompt and here to read the other entries in the link-up.

********************

I am a Write Tribe ProBlogger with a commitment to write as frequently as I can.

Winter Bucket List!!

With the rainy season just passing by and leaving us with a few spells here and there it's time to welcome the season that brings with it serenity and tenderness. It's time to welcome Winter!!!

Winter has always been one of the most beautiful seasons of the year. There is a kind of feeling where emotions outplay you. It is that time of year where you find yourself luring into romantic sounds, you find yourself squeezing inside think blankets, when your mornings are nothing but a silent quarrel between you and your alarm clock and it is also that time of the year when the climate lets you fall in love with itself.

Winter always reminds me of Christmas. The carol singing, the crib decoration, Santa Clause, Stockings, gifts etc.

Following my fellow blogger Nabanita, I landed up on the link up activity on Fall Bucket List. Since, Winter is my favorite season I planned to put up my Winter Bucket List:

1. South Mumbai: I moved into Mumbai a couple of months back after my marriage and since then I havent had the time to explore south Bombay. I did visit Marine drive and Delhi Darbar :) but I wish to walk and explore the entire South Bombay on one weekend.

2. Cook from my heart: As I said in one of my previous posts, I never enjoyed cooking before my marriage, but now I do trying out stuff on weekends when I have time. So this is up on my list. I will try new recipes and ofcourse put it up on my blog too soon :)

3. Adapt in my new office: With marriage, there has been a lot of change that has come around in my life. One of which is I landed up working in a huge organization where I still haven't found proper friends and it is sickening to go to such a place everyday. I am going to try and make new friends and stop cribbing about this.

4. Fitness: Fitness is something that I have given up owing to the lack of time which supposedly is something I shouldn't be using as an excuse. I am planning to get back to working out as much as I can and planning to get back in shape.

5. Creating a small Garden: It has been on my checklist to create a small garden in my balcony with tiny pots where I can sit and enjoy the evenings by sipping a cup of hot Coffee in Winter. I hope to get that started soon.

6: Write and Write: Now that I have made it a point to write as much as I can, I wish to continue this with passion and determination.

There goes my list, Now if you have yours, why don't you put it up on your blog or drop them down in the comments section? Who knows it may motivate you to have a great Winter.....

I am a Write Tribe ProBlogger with a commitment to myself to write as frequently as I can.

#Proud Indian's post (MOM)

It makes me proud as an Indian to say that the Indian Space research Organization(ISRO), successfully sent Mangalyaan (MOM) into the Martian Orbit, making India the first Asian country and also the first in the world to have successfully acheived it in the maiden attempt. The brilliance and intelligence of Indian Scientists proves that out country is never behind in such massive operations. When I read the news paper this morning, I had goosebumps, I was proud that my country was making a mark and proving that this is just the beginning for many more acheivements like this.

As a tribute, I present a small Haiku,

Feet in red planet,

Intelligence and brilliance,

Mangalyaan in Mars.

The next Haiku is inspired by the prompt at Haiku Horizons, "SPACE". How we wish to run back to our homes everyday? How we wish to be aloof from the noise?

Away from Clamor

Tranquility at apex

I, Me and Myself

I am a Write Tribe ProBlogger with a commitment to myself to write as frequently as I can.

Gratitude is Great-Attitude!!

As we celebrated the World Gratitude day yesterday, I wanted to write a post on what gratitude means to me.

Gratitude is Great-Attitude!!

I would wrap up my entire ideology of gratitude in this single sentence of 4 words. Yes! That’s what gratitude means to me. Gratitude is one of the noblest attitudes a man can possess.

Courage: It takes courage to be grateful to people who go out of their ways to help you and make you feel special. All of us as humans have a big ego that we are born with and it takes grooming and a very good upbringing to break the ego and give importance to other people’s actions by being grateful to them.

Benevolent: Gratitude is an act of benevolence. It is being generous in saying those two words, “THANK YOU”. When was the last time you said a thank you to the auto driver who dropped you safely to work?

Practice: Just like it takes years to master any art like Yoga or Painting, being grateful is an art that is developed over the years. It is not something that you will achieve overnight. Start by saying a note of thanks to your maid when she goes out of her way at times to get things done for you.

Gratitude is one of the greatest attitudes that need courage, benevolence and practice to master it.

Day before yesterday one of my college professor’s had celebrated her birthday. I had called her in the evening to wish her and she was elated. She told me that one of her ex-students had come to visit her as a surprise and how special she had felt about it. She even said that the biggest happiness to her was how her students remember her and don’t forget to wish her. As for me, this was the best way I could be grateful to her for everything she had taught me in college and for the motivation she continues to give me.

On world Gratitude day,

• I am thankful for my family, my parents, my parents-in-law(my second parents), my husband, my brother, Dhivya(my sis-in-law), Cruz(her husband), all my closest relatives, my cousins who make the world a happy place to live in. I am thankful to God for having given me these people.
• I am thankful for Nitu, my strongest support and for always being there no matter what.
• I am thankful for Jude, who hates me saying thanks to him :P
• I am thankful for Arjun, for the words of advice that mean so much to me.
• I am thankful for Kavitha, Simi, Jocy to whom I endlessly rant and they are always there to hear me out.
• I am thankful for my closest friends Teresa, Roopa, Thomas, Globin and my Think Team back in Pune for being the best always.
• I am thankful for the gang of friends in Mumbai who helped me get accustomed to this city, Khatija, Akin, Neha Gulati and everyone in the gang.
• I am thankful for Sushma Aunty, Jobin and Subin for being a part of my life and for being my extended family.
•  I am thankful for Joanna Castro whom I met in Venice and for the lovely conversations that we have even today.
•  I am thankful for Geeta maam about whom I had mentioned above.
•  I am thankful for Write Tribe members who are ever motivating, who are an inspiration in helping me become a better writer.
•  I am thankful for my entire team of #Inspirati – Vidya, Abhyudaya, Vanya, Nikita, Sai, Bindu, Alok and Cifar.
• There are still a number of people whom I would like to be thankful for but the list would go and on.

Thank you- just two words that could brighten up someone’s day.

Who is the first person you are going to thank today????

This post is inpired by the prompt at Write Tribe.

I am a Write Tribe ProBlogger with a commitment to myself to write as frequently as I can.

#Inspirati presents - Round 2 - Episode 9 - Helter-Skelter

After successfully marching into the second round, My team #Inspirati and I are ready to enthrall you with some amazing fiction. 

Read the first episode of the story Sharanya, here.

Read the previous episode by Vidya Sury, here.

And read Episode 9 here written by me. 

*********Episode 9 ***********

"Everything has fallen apart.... How did I miss it? What the hell was I doing?" He continued to stare from the bedroom window. 

"It happened under my surveillance. How could I just let it happen?" Guilt driven, he continued to murmur in vain. 

"I've lost signals from him as well. I feel disgusted. I need to do something. I have to figure this out before it gets completely out of hand.", determined, he banged his fist against the glass window which almost cracked. His huge fingers left a patch on the glass window as he touched them. 

He was tall, well-built. He was trained to be the best. He had left no stone unturned till today. 

He had a perfect view. Yet, it all happened. He was trained to make no mistakes. His job has only one rule, that he performs every task in an error-free manner. How could he not have foreseen this?

He kept a watch. He had done his duty. How was he going to save everyone on the mayday?

************** 

The ambulance screeched as it came to a sudden halt outside the Fortis hospital. Two male nurses, stepped beside the ambulance and pulled out the stretcher in which lay, Cyrus. He was rushed into the ICU and on Inspector Tawde's orders, no forms were asked to be filled and the operation had begun.

"Vijay, please ask the auto driver to rush", her eyes were drenched with tears as she tried to remain calm. A few kilometers away, the love of her life was hanging between life and death. He was suffering. She felt responsible. Had she not left his side, he wouldn't have come here and he wouldn't have been a part of this entire commotion.

"Relax, Jen. He is going to be fine", Vijay tried assuring to deaf ears.

"Don't call me that, Vijay. Only Cyrus calls me Jen. You know....", she tried pulling back her tears and sucking them inside. "You know I feel like a princess when he calls me Jenn."

She pulled out another tissue and sneezed. Vijay felt bad. He was hurt that in spite of his numerous endeavours to woo her, she still hadn't changed her mind. Jennifer was still madly in love with Cyrus. He felt he had made a mistake. Could things be changed now? He never knew how everyone's life was going to change after that day.

"Jennifer", Before he could inform her that they had reached the hospital, she sprinted out of the autorickshaw.

"Cyrus", she stood at the reception trying to find out the room number where the operation was taking place.

"Full name, Madam", the receptionist coldly inquired.

"Cyrus Daruwala", Jennifer managed to gather courage to speak.

"ICU second floor", as soon as Jennifer heard this, she immediately took the stairs to the second floor.

Like a mad woman, she hysterically searched for the ICU. Vijay followed her meekly. He had never seen her in such a frantic state.

On finding it, unrestrainedly she tried to push the door open. Vijay came to her rescue and made her sit in the chairs outside. "Jennifer, I understand your irony. I understand your pain. But dear, you have to be strong. All you could do is pray for him."

Jennifer'r phone rang at that instant. Before she could pick it up, the ringing stopped. She was about to keep the phone back in her bag when she spotted a notification in her phone.

Wiping the tears that were rolling down incessantly, she stared at what she had just seen in her phone.  "An email from Cyrus?" she whispered to herself. She ensured that Vijay was unaware of it.

She typed a few words and hit the search button in google. She goggled at what she had googled. She was amazed in disbelief. She couldn't believe her eyes. Sometimes situations arise and put you in a stance where it becomes difficult to believe what you see or hear. Jennifer was caught in a maze that made her world go round and upside down.

She had to help Cyrus. She had to bring him out of this. She had to reveal the hidden secrets, But for that to happen, she had to ensure if all the proofs were correct.

It was time, she wiped away her tears and became chivalrous. It was time she lifted the baton that Cyrus had left behind. This was the time to decide. This was the time to prove.

**************

Tara could suddenly feel her weak body and limbs giveaway. She hadn't eaten anything since her darling Roohi had disappeared.

Shekhar was still waiting for his answer. Tara was comprehending on the question. She wished to start it afresh. She blackmailed her God in her prayers that she would work everything out between her and Shekhar if Roohi returned safely. But her heart couldn't forgive the hurt that Shekhar had caused. She was reminded of all those nights she had slept alone while waiting for him to come and lay down beside her. 

How much had she craved for it all? How much had her heart yearned for some words of love from him? And all of a sudden, he wanted her to forget those miserable years. How could she? 

She was reminded of Roohi. Her smile, her laughter, her gaze, her naughtiness, she missed her daughter. She pictured herself as Roohi in the arms of unidentified people. She wondered if her daughter had eaten anything. In no time, she felt her cheek wet with tears. 

The agony of her husband and the pain for her daughter had increased. She couldn't make a decision. 

At that instant, Shekhar receives a call on his phone, "What you missed them, Inspector Tawde? How could you? How could you be so careless? This has gone way out of control. I need to do something." He yelled and banged the phone.

"Shekhar, Where is Roohi? Did the inspector see her? How is my baby? Is she alright?" pulling the collar of his shirt, she pleaded for answers as Shekhar silently gazed at his wife helplessly.

*****************

"Vijay, I need to go. I have some important work. Tawde is not answering my phone. Can you ask him to call me once he is here?" Without waiting for Vijay's reply she sprung to her feet. "Keep me posted"

"I hope I am doing what is correct", Jennifer whispered a silent prayer and set off ignoring Vijay's phonecall.

****************  

"I have to get to him soon", he spoke to his master.

"Who are you talking about, Aryan Ahuja?", She stormed into his room.

To be continued.......

Next episode here:

#CelebrateBlogging #GameOfBlogs #Blogadda

Learn to Remember

"He is suffering from Alzheimer's", I heard the doctor speak to my daughter.
I stood outside, eavesdropping on the conversation. 

I have to learn to remember, he cautiously explained.

Which school would teach me that? I wondered. My thoughts drifted into another world. It was a lonely world where I knew nobody.

"Grandpa", an angel waved at me from a distance. Who is she? Why is she waving at me ? I am clueless. Exasperated, I sit in the steel chair close by.

My thoughts drift back. I find my granddaughter. I realise that now its time to learn to remember.

The world celebrates World Alzheimer's Day today. Visit this link to read the informative post written by Corinne.

The 100 words above are written to convey how every victim who is suffering from Alzheimer's,  feels.

I am a Write Tribe ProBlogger with a commitment to myself to write as frequently as I can.

Five Sentence Fiction - Grief

A five sentence fiction inspired by the prompt
"GRIEF"
Lillie McFerrin Writes


"The mad woman", that's what the passersby called her. 

I saw her standing at the same place every morning on my way to work; shabby and tattered, she stood with a small white basket.

She would dance on the road, obstruct traffic, make some noise so that someone would look at her, have pity on her and drop a penny.

It so happened that on one such day, she stopped me; I dropped a few coins in her basket.

She smiled back and said, "God bless you", but all I could see behind that smile in her face, was "Grief".


I am a Write Tribe ProBlogger with a commitment to myself to write as frequently as I can.

Haiku - "Train"

Back to Haiku after a long time!! This Haiku is inspired by the prompt at Haiku Horizons.

Wheels screech,time to leave

Memories flash, come alive

Like Leaves during fall

Out he runs, Train halts

Candy, juice and toy in hand,

Dad,Tears turn to joy

The first Haiku puts forth a scene where a person is reminded of something and his memories take him back in time as the train leaves. 

The second Haiku is inspired by some events during my childhood. I remember travelling with my parents to Chennai every summer. My dad would run to the door as the train halted at every station. This would make me scared and I would start crying my lungs out wondering if he would return on time. And each time he would return with a candy or toffee in his hand :)

I am a Write Tribe ProBlogger with a commitment to myself to write as frequently as I can starting from the month of September. 

Book Review: "Private India" by Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson

If you wish to be caught in a gripping fast fiction combined with some sneak-peak into history and mythology alongwith some travel around Mumbai, then this book is for you. I received "Private India" from Blogadda as part of their Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers.

Have a look at what the Blurb has to say: 

In Mumbai, seemingly unconnected people are dying, strangled in a chilling ritual and with strange objects carefully arranged with the corpses. For Santosh Wagh, head of Private India, the Mumbai Branch of the world’s finest investigation agency, it is a race against time to stop the killer striking again. In a city of over thirteen million, he’d have his work cut out at the best of times, but this case has him battling Mumbai’s biggest gang lord and a godman who isn’t all he seems. And then he discovers there may be an even greater danger facing Private India. Hidden in the shadows is someone who could destroy the whole organization along with thousands of innocent Mumbai citizens.

Something about it:

This was the first time I was reading a book written by Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson. Both these authors were new to me. Ashwin is a stalwart when it comes  to mythology and he is highly spoken off in this regard. The thrill that keeps you hooked to the book till the very last page can surely be credited to the famous James Patterson. 

The story begins with a series of women getting killed in a similar way, strangulation with a yellow garrote. The killer is quick and even before the investigation to the previous murder is complete, the next one takes place. The plot takes support of various factors to keep the reader glued and to keep the story going like the Mumbai train blasts, the underworld in Mumbai, Beggars association, the Mumbai Police, Riots in Mumbai, Navratri in Mumbai and the various tourist attractions in Mumbai.

The path in which every single factor is amalgamated and weaved into a thriller is definitely worth a read.

Where it works:

1. The plot is intensive and will definitely keep you hooked. For me, the initial few pages went off slowly but the story gets headstarted after you have completed one fourth of it. 

2. Combination of Ashwin's knowledge in mythology and James Patterson's experience in thriller writing cannot be disdained. 

3. The pace and thrill is maintained till the end of the book. At times I felt scared while reading the book as I live in the same city. 

4. The end of the book is unique. You wouldn't have dreamed that he/she could be the killer. The authors have nailed it in this.

5. Every Character has an important role to play and you wouldn't find even a single character who has just been used for the sake of it.

Where is does not work:

1. Grammatical errors are definitely not acceptable and prove to be a turn-off.

2. Some of the dialogues and sequences remind you of some Bollywood Thrillers. The sequence of fight between Rupesh and Santosh seems very familiar to a Bollywood movie.

3. The end could have been cut-short instead of extending the story to the sequence of bomb blasts.

My Verdict: 3.75/5 

The book is definitely worth a read for people who enjoy thriller and mythology

I am a Write Tribe ProBlogger with a commitment to myself to write as frequently as I can starting from the month of September. 

Meant to be Soulmates - A note for my best Friend!!

It was a week after Higher secondary school had begun.I had seen her for the very first time in the stairs of our school right next to the wall where hung the photo of Christ. She was accompanied by another friend of mine. 

"Hey Nitha", I told her and realised who she was. We had studied in the same school 5 years back and I had moved to another city after that as my dad was transferred from Pune. 5 years later I was back to Pune(The city I loved and will always love) and joined a junior college where I met her again. Her face had seemed familiar. I remembered her name too, but there was no other memory of her.

We formed a group of girls who had come from the same school(Of course my 5 year back school) and started sitting together or lunch breaks. Nitha, I and my other friend Steffi (who had introduced me to Nitha) would travel on the same route back home. Slowly, Nitha and I became close friends. She was the free radio for all of us. She had a situational song for every instance. 

We even joined the same tuition classes in our 12th std. She was the first person who trusted and agreed to sit behind me in my two-wheeler when I just had a learning license. I never realised if she was so courageous or it was the trust that she had on me. She was also the first person to share the fall  with me on my two-wheeler. 

Junior college passed by and with both of us not having scored really high marks, landed up getting an admission in an just above average college for our graduation. Initially I had joined another college, but later shifted to the same college as her. I remember my mom asking me, "Did you join this college for Nitha?"

College was fun when we formed another group of ours with two more similar minded, fun-loving and amazing girls, Jocy and Simi. Every secret, every crush, every mischief, every first-first was shared with her. I remember bunking college and landing up in victory theatre to watch the infamous "VIruddh" movie and guess what there were just four of us in the theatre including Nitha and me. :P

College was done and I moved again to another city but never once did I feel away from her. 

Every holiday that I came home, Nitu would put everything aside for me. I was her special soulmate, and she was mine. The only time I saw her cry was when I left Pune for my higher studies. She didn't want me to go. She almost ran as the train began to move. 

She was the person who helped me through the teenage years and is my strongest support system. It's been more than a decade since I first met her at the stairs in my Jr. College. Back then I never knew that after so many years I would be writing something about her and something for her. 

Be it from watching the most boring movie in a theatre to dialing a number to cry my heart out at 12 in the night, it was always her. There was not once when she wasn't there for me. And I know there never will be too. 

She had once asked me, "Chinds, why don't you write something about me on your blog? You write so many things.". As this is her birthday month, I thought why not write something about her and for her. 

They say if a friendship lasts for more than 7 years then it's meant to be for a lifetime. It's so true, the bond I share with her is meant for a lifetime.   

You know me through and through,

You've been there and help me through. 

You understand my silence,

Wait for me to answer with patience. 

An angel in disguise,

You are what I won as a prize. 

Nothing can replace you,

Not even another you.