Grumbly and Mark

Grumbly did not like to study,

Parents, teachers, friends, he didn’t listen to anybody.

“School work is so boring”, he would complain,

In every subject, an ‘E’ grade was all he could obtain.

One day while playing in the park,

Grumbly met a boy named Mark.

He seemed to be good at every game,

His polished manners added to his parky fame.

Everyone wanted to befriend him,

Except Grumbly, who looked forlorn and grim.

Mark approached the lonely boy,

Who seemed to be curious and coy.






Grumbly: You seem to be good at everything.

Mark: How can you say? About me, you don’t know a thing.

Grumbly: Oh! Stop being modest!

Mark: No pal, I’m just being honest.

I am no good at school

Grumbly: Ah! You bet I’m a bigger fool.

Mark: How can you be so sure?

Grumbly: My parents and teachers regularly assure.

Mark: So what are you good at?

Grumbly: Umm! I think I can bat.

Mark: Grand! I’m good at bowling.

Grumbly: Would you mind playing?

Mark: Why not! Let’s see how well you bat.

Grumbly: You won’t be disappointed, I can assure you that.




Grumbly hit a six of every ball,

Everyone in the park was enthralled.

For the first time in his life,

Grumbly experienced a sense of pride.

The poor lad, had never tasted success before that,

Other children gaped, as they watched him bat.

Mark was humiliated,

He left the park feeling defeated.

Grumbly was relishing his success,

He didn’t care about Mark’s distress.

After this, Grumbly started working very hard,

He now wanted to be clever and smart.

All the school work, he happily did,

And soon became a star kid.

Grumbly continued going to the park,

But he never met or even missed Mark.

The boy who was indirectly responsible for all his fame,

Never came back to play a game.

Years later when Grumbly became a successful man,

He often pondered over the divine plan.

That game had changed his destiny,

And Mark remained his life’s greatest mystery.





One day when Grumbly was hiring people for his company,

He met a man who looked doleful and melancholy.

(Grumbly started interviewing him)

Grumbly: What is your name?

Mark: I am the boy you defeated in a cricket game

(Grumbly carefully observed the man’s features. He was Mark without a doubt)

Grumbly: Oh My God! It’s you at last!

Mark: Yes, many years have passed.

Grumbly: Why do you look so sad?

Mark: I feel like an absolute loser. At everything I am bad.

Grumbly: Oh come on, each one of us has some talent.

Mark: All my talents seem to be latent.

Grumbly: Do you know, you made me?

Mark: Huh!!!! How can that be?

Grumbly: You do remember the cricket match when you bowled and I did bat?

Mark: Yes, I how can I forget that? I left feeling very sad.

Grumbly: You gave me the first taste of success man!

Mark: Well that precisely was my plan!

Grumbly: I’m afraid, I don’t understand.

Mark: You looked very sad. I wanted to make you feel grand.

Grumbly: What urged you to do that?

Mark: Don’t know why, but I had seen you bat.

Grumbly: But I wasn’t very good at that.

Mark: Lack of confidence was your problem, I could sense that.

Grumbly: How did you guess that I would hit a six of every ball?

Mark: Ha-ha! Because I didn’t know how to bowl!

Grumbly: Oh My God!!!!!! God! You were humiliated!

Mark: That’s why Mr. Entrepreneur, in front of you I am seated.

Grumbly: What do you mean?

Mark: I felt defeated and gave up my dreams.

Grumbly: Well, from now on you’ll never regret what you did.

Mark: Can you be a little more lucid?

Does that mean that I have been selected?

Grumbly: The Director of this company, you’ve been appointed.

Mark: I can’t find words to express my gratitude.

Grumbly: My dear friend, you’ve been rewarded for your solicitude.

ROAD TRAFFIC IN DELHI

People People everywhere,
Not one with time to spare.
Everyone is in such a mad rush,
That no one bothers to even look at the people they push.

Metro trains are always crowded,
And buses are hopelessly overloaded.
Rikshaw pullers always obstruct traffic,
And processions create much panic.

Cab drivers have to pay different types of surcharge,
So they shamelessly overcharge.
In an auto rikshaw, the meter never works,
If you ask the reason, the driver smirks.

On Delhi roads, beggars abound,
If you don’t give them money, their curses resound.
Another thing that contributes much to Delhi’s traffic rattle,
Is the crossing of roads by stray dogs and cattle.

Overtaking gives us pleasure sublime,
And honking is our favourite, national pastime.
Vehicles move at snail’s pace,
For pedestrians, there is hardly any space.

You can claim to have witnessed a miracle,
If you find a working traffic signal.
In Delhi, nobody follows the traffic rules,
Those who do are hailed as the finest fools.


Image: rushlane.com

A Tribute to Mr. Yash Chopra

‘Jab tak thi jaan, he kept making movies’

Ordinarily, I do not react this way when people who have crossed 75 die. But I am devastated by the sudden demise of Mr. Yash Chopra. He seemed to be perfectly fit. It’s hard to imagine that something like Dengue killed him.

People do not take Bollywood seriously but the fact is that Hindi films have affected the lives of Indians in ways more than one, without even their realizing it. And without doubt, Yash ji was the most successful and influential personality of Bollywood. He was a creative genius.

I grew up in Delhi, in the nineties. Was in my early teens when ‘Dilwale Dulhanian Le Jayengein’ was released. This movie sort of initiated me into the world of love and romance. And I wasn’t the only one. I really wanted someone like ‘Raj’ to come into my life. The dialogues of Sharukh Khan were repeated by the teenage boys around me, all the time. The whole idea of a man respecting his lady love changed the patriarchal notions of many, to a very large extent. I have watched this movie some 95 times. After that ‘Dil Toh Pagal Hai’, presented a love triangle in a very different way. Karishma Kapoor was presented in a new ‘avatar’, a woman who was smart and sporty, who exercised to stay fit. It was something which hadn’t been done before. It started a new trend. Gyming, aerobics, dance, Yoga etc became very popular amongst girls. The best part about Yash ji’s filmmaking was that he changed with time, dabbled with new ideas and seemed to have a very flexible approach. That is the reason why people of all ages love and respect him. He was a very able researcher. From 'Dhool Ka Phool' to 'Band Baja Barat', each of his films is unique.

Yash ji can never really die.

Neighbours

It is a fact universally acknowledged,

By both the poor and the privileged,

That the people living in one’s neighbourhood,

Know nothing about brotherhood!

Your failure gives them immense pleasure,

While your success increases their blood pressure.

Your neighbours are properly pained by your few promotions,

And they secretly celebrate your many demotions.

Your new acquisitions, they never fail to discern.

While an increase in your income becomes a matter of common neighbourhood concern.

Your neighbours always envy your happy family life,

And these sadists, often sow the seeds for strife.

They suffer from misery great,

When you manage to shed some weight.

It causes them much distress,

When you wear an expensive dress.

They begrudge everything you own,

When you are happy, they secretly moan.

That’s why it is a fact universally acknowledged,

By both the poor and the privileged,

That the people living in one’s neighbourhood,

Know nothing about brotherhood!

Mr. Politician

When most mortals succumb to temptation,

Then why do we expect poor Mr. Politician to be an exception?

When government coffers are open for him,

Then why should he bother about idealistic whims?



When for everything sumptuous, he has developed a taste,

Then why shouldn’t he utilize the funds raised by the state?


When for winning in the elections, he had pretended to be a loving husband and a caring father,

Then why shouldn’t he satisfy his wily wife, salacious son and domineering daughter?


When he has to pay for his son’s debauchery and find a billionaire for his daughter to marry,

Then why shouldn’t the loving daddy, use the common man’s hard earned money?


When he has to buy his wife expensive jewelry for her to look good on ‘Page 3’

Then why shouldn’t he manipulate state machinery?


When he needs money not only to maintain his mistress but also to silence her, when she causes distress,

Then why shouldn’t the worried man, use public funds and relieve himself of the stress?


So, when most mortals succumb to temptation,

Then why do we expect poor Mr. Politician to be an exception?

When government coffers are open for him,

Then why should he bother about idealistic whims?

Early in the morning,

Early in the morning, the earth seems to be lost in a reverie deep,

And most menacing mortals are asleep.

The birds start chirping, the dogs start barking,

And a benign breeze keeps blowing.



Early in the morning, ferns and flowers are draped in due drops,

And silence surrounds homes and haunts, shambles and shops.

The air is free from smoke and smog,

And everything is enveloped in a freshening layer of fog.



Early in the morning, machines and man-made structures,

And also, their callous creators, seem to be one with nature.

There is no noise of either mirth or mutiny,

And the world seems to be in perfect harmony.

Rhymee Rhapsody

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1z7a45_supriya-prathapan-rhymee-rhapsody_music

Once upon a time, in a village called ‘Melody',

Lived a boy called Rhymee Rhapsody.

He loved music, dance and poetry,

And was certain that becoming a singer, was his destiny.



All the people that Rhymee met,

Had to bear his ‘singing' talent.

Melodians ran away whenever they saw him coming,

For nobody liked Rhymee's untrained singing.



Rhymee's poor parents didn't have enough money,

To send him to a music academy.

He was trained to become a motor mechanic instead,

That was how the aspiring singer started earning his bread.



Despite many remarks scathing,

Rhymee never stopped singing.

Years of practice, improved his voice quality,

And listening to trained singers, developed his sense of melody.



One day a well known musician came to his workshop,

And Rhymee's singing impressed him a lot.

The musician needed a singer for the national radio,

So he invited Rhymee to his recording studio.



Resolute Rhymee was rewarded for his grit,

The radio show was a huge hit.

Soon he became the star, he aspired to be

And people loved listening to Rhymee Rhapsody



Image: Preview Clipart. Royalty Free RF Clipart Illustration Of Singing Music Notes ...clipartof.com

Business Line : Features / Life : .com authors

Business Line : Features / Life : .com authors

Examination

The frightening finale of every academic session,
Is the savage ceremony called ‘Term End Examination’.
One can complacently contemplate a fine future,
By puking memorized data on paper.

Students suffer from immense stress and anxiety,
When examiners assume the role of God Almighty.
These sleep deprived and underpaid divinities,
Evaluate students’ retention capacity and decide their destiny.

Why care about understanding and knowledge,
When you just need to swallow and vomit unadulterated bookish garbage.
This complicated content, is magnanimously accepted and rewarded by our erudite examiners,
Who make toppers out of expert crammers.

Marks decide one’s future to a large extent,
Low grades have often throttled the hopes of many young talents.
This harrowing system of examination,
Is not meant for those with a vivid imagination.

Useless cramming machines, occupy responsible positions,
Why not? They have all the requisite qualifications.
The deserving degreeless, quietly do their work and take orders,
While the ivy-leaguers enjoy all the honours.

That a person’s intelligence, competence and knowledge gained,
Can be assessed by a written test, remains a mystery unexplained!
Yet every year examinations are conducted,
And many suicides committed.

Madame Jealousy

Manipulative and menacing Madame Jealousy,

Is filled to the brim with hypocrisy and insecurity.

She is a regular trespasser in most relationships,

Causing profound pain by ensuring harrowing hardships.



In this modern materialistic world,

Madame Jealousy’s impact has increased manifold.

That foes outnumber friends, is the modern man’s lame lament,

The truth is, Mr. Money’s offsprings have mercilessly mutilated Mr. Moral’s descendents.



Madame Jealousy messes with all the nations,

She causes rift amongst followers of different religions.

Famous for fomenting racial tension,

Her favorite word is ‘disintegration’.



Madame Jealousy is particularly fond of glitz and glamour,

So she always accompanies the accomplished, in all her splendor.

These people (the accomplished) are obsessed with power and position,

Staying on top is their sole obsession.



Madame Jealousy meddles with every hard working person,

In fact, she is the mother of ‘Corruption’.

A fervent fan of the cunning conspirer,

Together they kill the honest worker’s zeal and fire.



When Madame Jealousy creeps into a family,

Rivalry replaces revelry, leaving no room for peace or harmony.

Siblings sharing the same roof,

Turn foes and prefer remaining aloof.



Lovelorn Madame Jealousy always interferes in matters of the heart,

Causing misunderstandings and forcing lovers to part.

Her own loneliness prevents her from letting people unite,

The lovers’ sorrow gives her immense delight.



If only we could love one another unconditionally,

Accept each other and live a life of dignity,

Miserable Madame Jealousy will accede defeat,

And Madame Humanity will willingly take that vacated seat.

The Indian Cricket Team

Cricket is the game that brings together the whole of the Indian nation,

In this country it is often hailed as a religion.

Our cricketers, rarely, if ever, perform well abroad,

But, in India, they are treated like demigods.

Hockey is our national game,

Yet our cricketers enjoy all the fame.

Whenever there is a cricket match, people are glued to their television sets,

But how much time do our gods devote to practicing in the nets?

Busy with their ego clashes, disagreements and endorsements,

Little do they care about their spectators’ sentiments.

Cricket, is known as the gentleman’s game,

But the match fixing scandals, have given it a bad name.

Winning and losing are a part of life,

Agreed, but, I think, for excellence, we must always strive.

The problem is that our players don’t lose gracefully,

They lose heart and give up very easily.

Well trained, highly paid, fully grown men,

Play such cricket that they are ridiculed even by our children.

For all the time that we devote to watching them, we only want a little bit of entertainment,

And they give us nothing but disappointment.

Roaring lions in their own backyard,

Can’t remember the last time they registered a convincing victory abroad.













http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/india-in-australia/top-stories/Mahendra-Singh-Dhonis-men-close-to-being-worst-ever/articleshow/11511698.cms