Epiphanies on Life (I)

Sing the anthem of Life....Follow your bliss

Come what may...Never give up on your dreams! 

For more such micropoetry, you can follow me on Instagram - @Purba_Chakraborty

Let It Fall Away!

Let it fall away so that better things can arrive in your life. The best thing about a brand new year is the hope that gets planted in everyone's heart. The hope to start afresh and being successful in every aspect of life. 

Charles Lamb had rightly said, "New Year's Day is every man's birthday."

My resolution for the new year is to do one thing every day that makes me happy. 

"Happiness is a thing to be practiced, like the violin" ~ Sir John Lubbock

Apart from that, I have a couple of goals that I want to accomplish this year. I hope all of you drop the baggage of failures and heartbreaks that you faced last year. Make every day of this year count. Write a wonderful story in the new 365 page-book that you would feel proud of. 

Wishing all of you a very Happy New Year. 

What is your New Year Resolution? How do you want your 2019 to look like? I would love to know in the comment section.

Watch Dobaara on ZEE5 to make the best out of second chances

Dhadkan sansein nahi banti

Agar dhadke nahi dobaara

Boond barsaat nahi banti

Agar barse nahi dobaara

Last night, I watched one of the movies from the collection of the ZEE5 film festival. These couplets from the movie Dobaara made me contemplate the importance of second chances. The movie starring the very talented Manav Kaul and Parvathy Omanakuttan is about a married couple, Paro and Mohan whose relationship goes through several ups and downs. This1-hour 7 minutes Hindi feature film is directed by Bejoy Nambiar.

The thought-provoking film made me philosophical. I thought about all the times when I felt sad about failing at something. Be it relationships or dreams, how easily we give up! Don’t we? We tend to think that if it is not working out, there is no point in trying another time. I thought about all the manuscripts that I abandoned when they failed to get accepted by publishers. I thought about all the friendships that I left behind because of some minor misunderstandings.

Would my life be different if I had decided to take a second chance at that time?

Could the connection in those lost friendships be restored?

Would the abandoned manuscripts ever see the light of the day?

Maybe. Maybe not. At least, there would be no regrets in trying one more time.

Letting go is easier; holding on is difficult. We all know that letting go is extremely important for our mental peace. But when something is truly precious to us, doesn’t it deserve a second chance?

The most important thing is to figure out how important and valuable it is for us. If the person or project holds immense value, we must try to give the relationship a fresh start. In the movie, Paro gets tired of her married life and leaves her home. She feels that there is no connection between her and her husband. There is no point in staying back. Her husband, Mohan who was quite indifferent to Paro’s feelings for years realizes the importance of his wife. As the realization dawns on him, he accepts that he cannot live without Paro, he decides to find her and bring her back. But will Paro give him a second chance?

The best thing about the movie is that anyone can relate to the circumstances. When I was watching the movie, I tried to put myself in the shoes of both Paro and Mohan. Both the characters were equally responsible for making their married life suffer. As humans, we tend to take things for granted until it goes away from us. But the most important thing is to realize the other person’s value and holding onto them. When Mohan realizes Paro has left him, he reminds himself that he has not left her yet. He embarks on a long journey to bring back his wife.

The importance of second chances is so beautifully depicted in Dobaara that it will surely resonate with you. To get a glimpse of the movie, watch the trailer here

Maana zindagi ki shuruwat

Mumkin nahi dobaara,

Magar mumkin hai har mod se

Ek nayi shuruwat dobaara.

The ZEE5 film festival brings 12 beautiful films directed by 12 top directors, 6 from India and 6 from Pakistan. If you are a movie buff like me, you will be having a great time watching the films on ZEE5. So, what are you waiting for? Download the App and subscribe to it to have an amazing movie night on the weekend. Keep a bowl of popcorn ready.

A Letter to Broken Promises

To Broken Promises, 

There was a time when I believed that promises are meant to be kept. I was under the impression that when people promise something, they do it with the kernel of their existence. They mean every word they say with the intention of retaining it. I believed human beings are defined by the promises they make and keep. 

It has been only a few years when I realized that promises are nothing but shallow words, said in order to fool or extract something from you. They are governed by the fickleness of the human mind and they have nothing to do with the human heart. Once the realization dawned on me, I could count the number of broken promises and strangely, feel no resentment towards the people who broke them. 

Something that is governed by the mind, has no chance of permanence. Isn't it? And so, my dear broken promises, I hold no bitterness towards you. You made me comprehend why memories always weigh more than promises. Although this is not a letter to memories, I must tell you that had you not been there, human beings wouldn't have clung to their suitcase of memories like a homeless person who has lost everything in a calamity. 

Being a writer, I deal with words every single day. I play and romance with words when I am putting them on paper. But while talking to a person, I take care not to use words frivolously. I believe if you truly love and care for someone, there won't be the need of making promises vocally. You can do that in your heart and try your best to keep it. 

Dear broken promises, you taught me to use words in all conscience. You taught me to look beyond words and peep into the intentions concealed beneath the words. You helped me understand that some things break, not because they are fragile, but because they are already broken from the first minute, the only difference is that the cracks have been cleverly camouflaged. 

And finally, it's because of you I believe in living in the moment. Just like seasonal changes, human intentions keep changing and with that, the promises they had made once. I would never let you take the life out of me; instead, I would let good memories fill the hole that you puncture in my heart. 

Thank you for making me wiser, stronger and more compassionate!

From, 

A girl who no longer believes in promises

Azure or Grey: The two opposite colors of life

The beautiful, azure butterfly

Frisky and agile

Flutters over the bougainvillea tree

Oblivious of the gloom around.

The grey, cloudy sky

Which was beautifully blue 

Some time back,

Threatens to breakdown anytime. 

Sitting on the rusty bench,

She silently observes both:

The azure butterfly 

and the grey sky

The two opposite colors of life

In the presence of one, 

we forget the other. 

Her heart was once 

an azure butterfly

Today, it is like the grey sky

Achromatic and burdened

With the weight of her tears

That threatens 

of a relentless downpour.

As the blanket of thoughts 

wrap her tight,

The azure butterfly come flying,

Sits on her hand, 

wait for a few seconds and go away

Perhaps, letting her know

'This too shall pass'. 

-Purba Chakraborty

(26.05.2017)

Linking this poem with Poetry Pantry # 355

Dear Zindagi, I love you!

Dear Zindagi,

First of all, I want to give you a big hug because no matter how much I have complained and whined, you have always embraced me with all my flaws. I love you!

Everyday, you give me reasons to be happy, make me feel myriad emotions and teach me something new. Yes, there are nights when I suffer so much that I start hating you and think that you are ugly, but you don’t give up on me. You again paint my face with a smile the next morning, bless me with love, plant hope in my heart and sprinkle dreams in my eyes.  

You have shown me that there can be beauty in ugliness, peace in cauldron and hope in despair, only if we have the eyes to see it. You have taught me that one can never run short of reasons to be happy. Living every moment to the fullest and making beautiful memories is the ticket to perennial happiness. 

You are the wisest teacher ever. I learnt from you that sadness is not my enemy. It is also a friend, just like happiness. Without sadness, happiness will lose all its meaning. You are really complicated and perhaps that’s why it took me more than two decades to understand you properly. 

That day, I was looking at a beautiful rainbow from the hills when it struck me that you are just like that. You are composed of several colors which make you look so beautiful. Happiness, sadness, love, fear, peace, anger and compassion are some of your colors that together make you so beautiful.

When my mother passed away, I thought you didn’t love me. When my grandmother got cancer, I thought you didn’t love me. When I was a lonely introvert in my high school days with not a single person willing to talk to me, I thought you didn’t love me. When I got betrayed, I thought you didn’t love me. When my heart got broken again and again into a million pieces, I thought you never loved me. 

Oh dear! I was so wrong. You brought wrong people in my life so that I understand who the right people are. You gave me superficial friends so that I recognize who my best friend is. You showed me how painful loneliness is so that I don’t give loneliness to anyone in return. You gave me the best father in the world who never made me feel my mother's absence. I can always find my mother in him. You gave me such a lovely grandmother who fought and survived the battle with cancer so that she can raise me up.  

Every scar that you have given me, I found a note of wisdom in it years later. Your way of loving is really unique. I have slowly started understanding your love. And yes, how can I forget the surprise gifts that you gave me in the form of miracles, be it soul companions or my calling? You have given me people with whom I could feel a direct soul connection and realize that magic exists.

Discovering that writing is my calling has brought me closer to myself. I have found a best friend in me. Writing has helped me unwrap the gift of solitude. I don't fear loneliness anymore. Now, I can clothe my emotions in beautiful words and put them on paper.

Loving deeply without fear, crying my heart out without any inhibition, pouring kindness in every act, smiling from the bottom of my heart are some of the most valuable things that I have learnt from you. But my favorite lesson is that I should always be true to myself and never lie to myself. I know I took a long time to learn this simple lesson. Do you think I am a bad student? Well, you see I am trying to improve every day.

I can feel your warm hug when the wind pampers my hair and the waves tickle my feet. I can also feel your hug in the smell of roses, the melody of songs, the aroma of home-cooked food and the magic of words.

Thank you so much for all the lessons. Thank you for being so patient with this student of yours. Thank you for all the hugs.

And also thank you for the wounds where you left behind your note of wisdom. 

#DearZindagi, I am so much in love with you!

Here’s a poem that I have written on you long back. Hope you like it.

People often yell and wail

‘Life! Why do you give pain?

They forget the euphoric moments

They lament, shout and complain.

Life never complains

It embraces both the tears and the smiles

That people throw in its bosom

It endures, teaches, enlightens.

Life is wiser than people

It tries to speak in innumerable ways;

The ones who listen to its tales

Savor every slice of it till death.

Love and Hugs, 

~Purba Chakraborty

I am writing a letter to life for the #DearZindagi activity at BlogAdda

Glory of Autumn

I watch the trees shedding leaves

As I silently shed my old self;

Reinvention is a necessity

From time to time.

I let go of my old beliefs

That're inhibiting my growth;

The glory of autumn enthralls me

The absolute magnificence in pain

Inspired, I mirror the season

Unafraid to let go.

-Purba Chakraborty

21.09.2016

Linking this poem with Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Equinox, Equator

Also spare a moment and read my candid and personal interview on Poets United: BLOG OF THE WEEK ~ AN UPDATE WITH PURBA CHAKRABORTY

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Like a broken guitar

Like a broken guitar,

I lie mangled and overrun

In the labyrinth of life

Amid the sea of people.

My melody has fallen between cracks

As I gave myself to people

Who couldn't hear my music

My chords are broken

And I lie numb and soundless

Amid the charring noise

Seeping life out of me.

Like a lost child in a fair

I run from people to people

Asking countless questions 

As the questions multiply manifold.

Defeated, I close my eyes

Listen to my heart beats in silence

My broken strings gently collide

I hear some music; faint and delicate

Perplexed, I take a deep look within

Where I find an ocean of melody left

Although I am apparently broken.

-Purba Chakraborty

19.09.2016

Linking my poem with Prompt Nights by Sanaa : That which we seek; deep within will find – “IDENTITY”

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Defeating the tears

Tears clouding her vision

A lump in her throat

Refusing to go down;

The sting of a hundred needles

Piercing her heart,

A thorny rose crushed

In her delicate palm...

The helplessness of deception

The remorse of a wrong decision

The serpentine thoughts threatening

To strangulate her at once...

When she finally decided to stop

The self-torture and self-pity;

Wiping her tears fiercely,

She tried to smile

Recollecting fond childhood memories

Night outs with her best friends

And there she was...

Laughing her heart out

Defeating the tears;

Surrendering to pain is never an option

She had grown up

Singing in the chaos

And dancing with a broken foot.

-Purba Chakraborty

(22.06.2016)

Linking this poem to Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Resilience

The bleak, fateful moment

The bleak, fateful moment,

The moment just before

The soul irrevocably leaves the body

When the mind is excruciatingly restless

The heart, numb and ravage

The soul clueless,

But it sure weeps

And yearns passionately for its loved ones.

Yes, that fateful moment

When your soul was longing

For a gentle caress of a loved one,

A few solacing words

And one last assurance to be remembered...

How I wish I was there

To ease your frenzied suffering

Wish I could hold you and not let you go...

-Purba Chakraborty

(10.04.2016)

P.S. Yesterday was the death anniversary of my cousin sister, Disha. She succumbed to depression and ended her life. Whenever I think about her, countless regrets and innumerable memories flood my mind. This poem was my free flowing thoughts on her death anniversary. You are deeply missed angel and you will live in my heart as long as I live.

Linking this poem to Poetry Pantry #297

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From this moment on...

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She wept uncontrollably, sitting on the cold floor at 3 am in the morning. Her heart was bedecked with thorns and the pain was unbearable. Her parents were sleeping in the other room. All her friends were sleeping too. She had no one in the world to talk about her maladies. She wanted to scream and yell, but she didn't want to wake anyone up. Tucking her head between her legs, she kept sobbing with those questions that haunted her again and again.

What is my mistake in this? I try to be good and kind to everyone, then why do some people hurt me so badly? Why is my heart injured and broken for literally no fault of mine? And this is not the first time...it keeps happening again and again. How can some people be so cruel and selfish? 

As she felt lost within the tangled web of questions, her eyes fell on the mirror. She hated the sight. Red, swollen eyes. Runny nose. Dark lines under her eyes. Messy tresses drenched with tears.  

She wiped her tears and looked into the mirror again. She grabbed a rubber hand and tied her hair. Now the sight did not disturb her as much as it did a few minutes back. She touched the dark circles that were accumulated due to loss of sleep for almost a week. Her eyes looked tired due to severe crying. There were marks of nails on her cheeks that she inflicted on herself. When the pain in her heart became too excessive for her to tame, she tried to cause physical pain to herself, in vain.

What have I done to myself? Here, I am crying because some people I loved, have deeply wounded me. But was I kind to myself?

The more she looked at her in the mirror, the more she realized how cruel she had been to herself, for no fault of hers. She took some face wash in her hand and washed her face thoroughly. Instead of sitting on the cold floor, she went to her bed. She covered herself with the blanket and took a deep sigh. 

I can't control people's behavior towards me. Some people can be cruel and selfish. Some people can be insensitive or manipulative. But I promise that from this moment on, I won't be cruel to myself. From this moment on, I won't inflict myself with pain and conflict. From this moment on, it is my first responsibility to take care of myself so that I can battle with the wounds given to me by others. From this moment on, I will treat myself with kindness, care, forgiveness, compassion and love. I will be there for myself as a friend, always. 

P.S. Especially wrote this post because one of my close friends is going through a bad phase. I hope the message reaches out to her and she gets encouraged to love herself with all she has. 

Prompt 97- From this moment on

The Music Teacher

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Riya sipped her coffee and gazed at the beautiful handmade card with reverence, that her student, Rahul has gifted her on the occasion of Teacher’s Day. Rahul is an average music student and a very shy child. He struggles a lot while playing the synthesizer, but Riya never loses her patience. May be he is gifted in playing some other instrument!

“All your students love you a lot.” Her reverie broke as her husband, Samar uttered these words.

“May be, because I love all of them too. I am never harshly partial.” She replied with a smile.

“This thing amazes me the most. You don’t only love the students who are the most talented, but also the students who don’t perform so well.”

“A teacher can create a magnificent impact in a student’s life. A teacher should enlighten her students and fill them with a zest for life. A teacher is the candle that kindles and rekindles the potential of her student from time to time. Every single child is gifted and has some talent concealed within him. The duty of a teacher is to help her student find his talent and true potential.” Riya said.

“However, all teachers don’t walk in the same line as you do, Riya. They are only concerned with seeing which student is performing well in their subjects or which student is obedient to them.” Samar replied.

“I know that. Some people employed as teachers also dampen the spirit of a young mind with their harsh and unruly words. They never have an idea what a tumultuous impact they are making in a child’s mind” Riya said with a choked voice.

Samar looked at her, waiting for her to speak.

“There was a girl who had to change her school in class eight after her mother passed away. She was so psychologically affected by the loss of her mother and the change of place that she started living in a cocoon. She never talked much in class. She was a shy and introvert person. She was average in studies and she never got the courage to participate in extra-curricular activities in her new school, despite having learned music since the age of five.

However, one day, she thought to participate in the annual concert. She mustered some courage and gave her name to her class teacher. The teacher scanned her from top to bottom and said, “You? Please, don’t even try doing such a thing. You should better sit in the audience and clap for the other participants.”

Her eyes welled up and she looked at her class teacher with embarrassment. Without any sense of guilt, she continued, this time with a sarcastic smirk, “You’re such a cry baby. And you plan to sing in front of an audience? Just go sit and don’t waste my time, ever.”

This incident shattered all her confidence and made her feel worthless. She lost her self-esteem for a really long time, until she decided to be her own teacher and guardian. 

She motivated herself, fought her demons and came out from the shadow, victorious. Today, she has her own music academy and she is standing in front of you, Samar. However, her scars have not evaporated totally. Therefore, she loves all her students and tries to encourage and motivate each one of them. This is her path to happiness and solace.”

Without saying a word, Samar embraced Riya and whispered in her ear, “I am so proud of you and the positive impact you are making in the life of all your students.”

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Price for Spontaneity

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I go to bed

Sharp at 11

Hectic deadlines awaiting

The next day.

A long day it's going to be,

My weary body needs sleep.

10...9...8...

I reason with my mind

Yes! Sleep is the best thing for you.

7...6...5...

I open my eyes

Pull my laptop 

Start typing a story

That was languishing somewhere

In my subconscious mind.

After 3 hours, I feel content and exhilarated.

I switch on the music

Soak in the moments

Feeling life is a beautiful party.

The tweeting of birds

Brutally break my reverie.

Biting my lower lip, 

I crash on my bed

I've to rush back to sleep.

Only four hours

For the strict alarm to ring

Well, that's the price

I've to pay for spontaneity.

-Purba Chakraborty

(12.01.2016)

I am a very spontaneous person. Though I try my best to follow a routine life and do things in a planned way, I end up being spontaneous. Most of the times, it helps me and some other times, it lands me in crazy situations. 

Linking my poem on Spontaneity with Prompt Nights – Spontaneous or Not [2]

The Hapless Woman and the Magical RJ

On some rare days, when I manage to wake up by 6am, I listen to a programme on Radio known as "Life and Healing". I have been listening to the programme since over two years. The words of the RJ who is known by Zen (it's not his real name) always bring a smile on my face, even in the most grey and ashen days of my life. They always motivate me.

Since I am listening to the programme for quite some time, I know that the RJ is a cerebral palsy patient. Despite being a victim of cerebral palsy and having a huge physical disadvantage, he chose to be a dauntless and cheerful person. Having struggled with life all his thirty years, he motivates people to live life with love. 

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For those of you who don't know, cerebral palsy is a condition that is marked by spastic paralysis or impaired muscle coordination. People who suffer from cerebral palsy have stiff or weak muscles that affect their posture, movement, balance, communication and everyday tasks. Their life is a constant struggle. 

I have once seen Zen when I went to the radio station to collect a prize. He was sitting in a wheel chair and was constantly cracking jokes with the fellow RJs. I wished to take his autograph, but by the time I went there, he has gone inside the studio. 

Anyways, this is not my story. This is the story of Bhoomi who lives in my locality. It was a Monday of 2015 as far as I can remember. I woke up early and switched on the radio. Monday was the day when Zen talked to his listeners LIVE and discussed their problems. 

"Flying a kite is so similar to living life. Ever wondered how? When a person flies a kite, the kite is far from his reach. What he has in his hands is the tuft of strings through which he controls his kite. He should know well when to pull the string towards him and when to let go of some of the string to make the kite fly better. If he can manage the balance, his kite won't be cut by another kite." I listened to Zen's words with rapturous attention. He continued speaking.

"Now, look at our life. Our life is like that kite. We can only control it by strings. These are strings of intelligence and wisdom. You must know what and when we should let go. You must also know what and when we should pull to ourselves in order to let our life sail well in the vast sky of time." I nodded in agreement and contemplated about the philosophy, when Zen received a call from a listener. 

When she introduced herself and mentioned the name of her locality, I could identify Bhoomi. However, she did not sound soft and fragile as she always sounds.

"I have listened to your programme for the last three days. Can you tell me that what is the use of an hour of tranquility when people like me have to spend the entire day full of mental maladies and never-ending agonies?" Bhoomi said in a harsh tone.

As far as I knew about her life, I knew that she got married at a very early age. It was a love marriage which her parents did not support. Her husband died after three years of their marriage and her in-laws pushed her away from their house with her one year old daughter, calling her an evil curse to their son. She stays with her parents who are grumpy all the time. She also attempted suicide a few times. 

"I can understand that you are a victim of some unfortunate incident, dear." Zen said calmly.

"No, you cannot understand. Unless you are in the shoes of the person suffering, you can never understand. Reading aloud some lines from a self-help book or a motivational blog is very easy." Bhoomi snapped.

"Dear, life is not as bad as we perceive it to be. There is always a reason to live. Search that reason and you will be happy. Your antagonistic thoughts are inflicting you with pain, not your life." Zen said in the same calm manner.

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"You don't have any idea about my pathetic life. Quit this show of hypocrisy. You will surely earn money by hosting another show that has more entertainment and less hypocrisy." Bhoomi's words angered me as she was indirectly blaming a person like Zen for her own misery.

Without getting jolted, Zen told Bhoomi on air about his health condition and the struggles he had faced with it since his birth. Bhoomi was out of words after hearing the truth. The loud woman who was snapping at Zen retreated back into her shell. 

"You are the lucky caller and you have won a goody bag. Collect it from our station within a week." Zen declared before ending the show on that day. 

***

I met Bhoomi after a month in the nearby grocery shop. She looked happy and greeted me warmly, unlike other days when she seems lost. Her three year old daughter was too busy choosing candies.

"I heard you on the radio, few days back." I blurted.

"On Zen's show?" She asked and I nodded, telling her I am a huge fan of that show.

"Zen is a magical human being. I was so rude that day, but when I met him in person, I was filled with admiration for him. He told me to love life because my daughter is my reason for living. He motivated me to start doing some work that will give me contentment. I am not much educated, but I thought to start a music and art class very soon." Bhoomi said with enthusiasm.

"That's amazing. I know you can sing and paint well." I said with a smile.

"I just thought when a person like Zen who has such a huge physical deformity can continue living his life beautifully by doing something he loves, why can't I? I don't have any physical problems. After meeting and talking to Zen, I started valuing my life and understood that my negative thoughts were responsible for my suffering ." Bhoomi said and I encouraged her to pursue her dream.

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***

Today, Bhoomi has her own music and art class. She teaches music and art to students of all ages. She has found the purpose of her life. She values her life and never looks at it with pity. I feel great to see her doing well, but the thing that makes me immensely happy is how a meeting with Zen changed her life.

In this selfish and brutal world, there are some people who are angels on this earth. They have so much light in them that once you come in touch with them, you are enlightened. 

People who can value life, even after going through a lot of storms are the real champions. 

This world needs more champions like Zen who can enlighten the weak and tormented souls and spread positive vibes all around.

#SpreadTheVibe because all the good in the world needs to be talked about. Read more at http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/

Note: This is a real story. However, some names have been changed to protect privacy.