Haiku!

I recently came across an unusual and a very refreshing genre of poetry in my creative writing class. And it goes by the name of ’Haiku’. Haiku is one of the most famous forms of traditional Japanese poetry. Written in a 17- syllable verse form, it consists of three metrical units of 5, 7 and 5 syllables. And this means it is a highly constraint type of poetry writing and you can not afford to go overboard with your thoughts. Also, keeping the syllables in mind can be extremely nerve wracking. But in spite all of its shortcomings, haiku can turn out to be a creative delight. It can paint a beautiful picture of words and express an entire gamut of emotions in just three lines.

This is precisely why Haiku has, in a short span of time, become the new love of my life. I am deeply infatuated and simply had to try my hand at it. So here goes nothing:

Quilts and hot coffee

Helps us through out winter days

As we wait for spring.

Doesn’t that paint a picture or what!!! And yes, I have been very faithful to those damn syllables too. But in case my experiment does not satisfy you, I will cite another example, but this time one I have stolen from the net:

Refreshing shower

Falls from my watering can

Catching a rainbow

Beautiful isn’t it?

Haikus can also a source of immense entertainment, especially while writing movie reviews. Yes, you heard right. Reviews of your favorite movie can also be written in the Japanese form. In fact there are various websites dedicated to it. Don’t believe me?

Well, then go check out this link:

http://www.wunderland.com/WTS/Ginohn/poetry/HMRlist.html.

Surprised? I too was. But soon I realized its worth and its capacity to amuse us. And if you ask me what my favorite movie review is, it has to be the one written on THE DAVINCI CODE:

A scavenger hunt
based on the crazy notion
that some dude had sex.

Hilarious isn’t it?? And oh so true!

Go ahead and take a risk.

Last week i made chocolate brownies. Pardon me for not being modest-but it was damn good. It was so good that my diabetic father risked another tiny piece even at the prospect of getting an earful from my mother. And thus it was very natural for me to offer them to each and every one who visited my house.One such visitor happened to be an uncle of mine. But when i presented him those delectable cakes, prompt came the question,"dear, can you tell me what the recipe is?" and this was even before he picked one up! For a second i was baffled, but soon enlightenment dawned upon me. I realized that he must be enquiring about the non-veg content and proceeded to tell him about the eggs that were very much part pf the ingredients. At first he shook his head in dissapointment as he generally did not consume eggs. But as i have already mentioned, they were good brownies-they looked good and they smelled good. soon he gave away to temptation and popped one into his mouth. And guess what, he loved it.

Now, i really feel that we all have something to learn from the incident. Just imagine what that uncle would have missed had he discarded the cake simply because of some insolent eggs, whose presence by the way was no where in sight or smell. What i am trying to say is that sometimes in life we must do what we feel like, without thinking of pros and cons. Sure, we must all be alert and prudent in our actions lest we do something stupid. But in my opinion, every once in a while, we must do what our heart tells us. because you never know, may be at the end of the road, a chocolate brownie might just be waiting for us.

Wake Up To The Smell Of Coffee!

I love coffee. I am as passionate about it as is M.F Hussain is about Madhuri Dikshit. And before you all start worrying about my priorities, let me safely clarify that that I do have other interests in life. But the fact remains that drinking coffee is very much a part of it. For me, a day without coffee is a day without oxygen and a coffee ill made is as near to being a sacrilege.

In today’s world, no one can claim ignorance from the taste of coffee, unless of course he or she is an alien from outer space. In metropolitan cities, like Delhi, coffee houses can be sighted in abundance and every second advertisement in the television seems to be that of a coffee product. Perhaps as a result of this, friends or couples catching up with each other in coffee joints have become a common phenomenon. I too often visit them. But I prefer my company to be books rather than people. Call me a loner, but sitting in a coffee house, engrossed in a good book while sipping a heavenly cup of coffee, is in my opinion, an ideal scenario.

Now having already voiced my undying love for those lovely beans, one would expect me to be an expert in areas relating to it. The grim fact is that such is not the case. But since I have unequivocally stated my passion, a google search is only a fair thing to do. “History of coffee can be traced to at least as early as the 9^th century,when it appeared in the highlands of ethopia which is in the north east of Africa”. From there it spread to some of the muslim worlds, and then to Europe and so on. But the most important thing is that it spread far enough to reach me, every day.

There are various types of coffee, perhaps known to one and all. Cappuccino happens to be my personal favorite. Cappuccino is a strong coffee with dollops of frothy cream, topped with a pinch of powdered chocolate; ah Heaven! And there is espresso. It is a strong black coffee prepared by forcing live steam through dark roast coffee beans. The coffee is placed into the espresso machine, designed just for this purpose and hot water is forced through the coffee at a very high pressure-extracting all the flavor possible. Espresso coffees are a common sight at various restaurants and work places but I consider this type of preparation the worst ever; milk and sugar are literally dumped into them and there is almost no taste or sight of coffee. Then there is the South Indian and the evergreen cold coffee. There might be other sorts too, but I am regrettably unaware of them. But no worries, I am sure to savor them all some day.

By now, you all must be aware of the fact that I am a coffee addict. And that somehow a great source of worry for my mother. With my intake of every cup, her anguish seems to increase. She acts as if it i is equivalent to alcohol and that it is surely to have an adverse effect on my healh. So it is for her,and people like her, that I shall state its benefit. Every body knows that coffee helps us stay alert and overcome drowsiness. I am sure some of us may glowingly and some woefully reminisce our exam days, when we stay awake late at nigh, book in one hand and a cup of coffee in another. But thats not its only positive point. It also protects us against free radicals which cause cancer, heart diseases and aging. Its consumption can also decrease the risk of diseases like Parkinson and furthermore, plays a positive role in our liver function. Now having given such a glowing tribute to coffee, I run the risk of being called biased. But I do not care. I am an ardent coffee drinker and shall always swear by it.

The Cruel Facts of Ragging

Ragging has always been a part and parcel of college life. since time immemorial, it has been a common practice during the commencement of the educational year. But more often than not, such practices have left the new students traumatized. That it is a platform where juniors could meet their seniors so as to cultivate a friendly relationship with them is perhaps an argument long forgotten.

Ragging has, now days, become synonymous with the mental and physical trauma, undergone by the young and innocent students. it is now perhaps a mere euphemism for cruelty perpetrated by various anti-social elements, in the garb of senior, on unsuspecting freshers. The harsh stance taken up by the Supreme Court goes on to prove this prevalent trend. As per the Supreme Court ruling, ragging is now a culpable criminal offence. Furthermore, educational institutions have now been made liable to file an FIR, when a case of ragging comes to light.

Now the question that remain is, why has ragging taken such a heinous turn? Ragging, which was supposed to be a light hearted endeavor, has now become a terror among the college aspirants. There have been innumerable cases where the new students have suffered immeasurably, due to the torturous and cruel escapades of their seniors. And the answer could lie in the fact that cruelty is imbibed within the human nature. This has, time and again, been proved through instances, steeped in various facets of life; religion and the violence instigated in its name, perhaps being the most evident instance. Religion is supposedly a means to bring its followers close to god and be in tune with spirituality. Thus violence should be a far cry from it. But this is clearly not the case. The barbaric and audacious deeds perpetrated by men, in the name of religion, has become a common trend trough out the human history.

Another example could be domestic violence. Now days, there are countless cases of violence of one spouse against another. There have been some extreme cases of cruelty heaped upon the bride, by their husbands and other relatives. These cases mar the very sanctity of marriage.

The above examples may go on to prove the inherent barbaric nature of humans. But then, we must not forget the other aspects of human nature. Though history has created many miscreants, it has also produced various apostles, sent on earth for greater good of mankind; mother Teresa being the foremost example. And one must not view this as a rarest among rare case. Because, though common man is capable of brutality, he also has in him, a humanistic streak.

Supreme Court’s stringent laws on ragging, or on various other aspects, might not help in controlling and curbing the basic instincts of man. So it is really up to us common mortals, to decide whether to give voice to our crude side, or rise up to our true humane nature.