Thoughts to Script

It's the end of the day and the celebrations are coming to an end. The cheerful yet cliche music has stopped and the distant relatives and friends have left. The family and its immediate circle remains but with mixed emotions. The girl, in her heavy wedding dress, steps off the stage, with her newly tied mangalsutra  and a dash of kumkum  on her head. One tear drops down and the rest follow suit. A day full of smiles, celebrating the union of the lovers (or probably the great Indian arranged marriage) ends with thoughts of the bride leaving the house and family she grew up with. The mother, with a heavy heart lets her daughter go, hoping she'd be happy in what she'd now call home and the dad reluctantly lets his princess go too. The bride, filled with joy and pain, cries amidst her smiles, unwilling to let go of her dear ones. She pats her little brother on the back, making him promise that he'd take care of their parents.  Sounds familiar?  I, though, will be no conven

I woke up at 7 am, surprisingly fresh. My body that otherwise refused to wake up any time before 8 am, without swollen eyes and creating a fuss was rather happy and energetic that day. I headed straight to the bathroom to get ready. It felt unusual not going to the kitchen first thing in the morning and staring into thin air, thinking what must be cooked for breakfast that day.  I dolled myself up with a pair of black, high-waist jeans and a bright pink top. To go with it, my pink lipstick, pink earrings and pink scrunchie were what I chose. After all, I was known for being monochromatic at college! I went downstairs to find the hall full of people. My mom was cooking piping hot food in the kitchen while my grandpa and uncle chit-chatted. I went to the kitchen where my mom handed me the already-packed breakfast box. I thanked her and kept it in my bag. She seemed happy that I had agreed to drink a glass of milk before I left. She poured it into a fancy mug and gave it to me. I drank th

After breathing some already-existing fresh air, I'd dive deep into my wishlist if I'm given 365 days of freedom and no responsibilities. After a month of doing absolutely nothing, cooking exotic dishes, doing a month of mountaineering, dancing my heart out and reading some knowledge-packed books, I would begin to tick the last few things on the list.  6- I would act. Owing to my 12 year-long dream, if there's anything I love along with writing and dancing, then it's acting. What started off as a desire for fame, transformed into the discovery of a not-so-common art form. You see, you will always find a dancer or a musician but you won't find an actor very often. Just like any other art form, this too uses the same body that everyone else is gifted with but still proves to be something not everyone can be good at. You know what sets acting apart from all other art forms? It is the fact that acting is nothing but an imitation of what we already do every day. You don&

What would you do if you had 365 days of freedom and no responsibilities? Apart from spending an entire month doing absolutely nothing, a few weeks cooking the most exotic dishes of the world and spending a month learning mountaineering, there are a couple of other things that I have on my bucket list! 4- Dance. I've grown up dancing and it has been one of my first ever passions. I have been dancing ever since I was 3 years old. I have never been professionally trained, except for the two-month Shiamak Davar training that I received when I was about 7 years old. I have gone about choreographing dances to my favourite Bollywood songs and there was a time when I really said that I could not live without dancing. Well, if you've known me only for the past few years, you'd raise an eyebrow reading this. Dancing and me? Since when?  I stopped dancing a few years ago. Not that I did not have time to do so or not that I lost interest in it. To be brutally honest, I did not have th

 Over the past few years, my life has pretty much been a rollercoaster without a break. While I chose to get on the ride, I did not realise there wasn't a break to it. Well, it's too late to get off now and it's going to take a while for it to stop. There have been a number of things that I have taken up to do and learn and they have really added to the resume of my career and life! It might sound a little silly to speak of a career break even before I begin my career but I do have a list of things that I want to do. So, if I were to ever take a career break and have 365 days of no responsibility and complete freedom, I have a bucket list to look into!  1- For starters, I really want to do nothing. Yes, you read that right. I want to spend an entire month doing absolutely nothing. I want to wake up each day and have nothing to look forward to. I want to scroll through my phone or watch TV for hours together without even a hint of guilt. I also want to stare into thin air. I

A few weeks ago, I headed to the gym with headphones in my bag and a playlist ready on my phone. It was ‘cardio day’. Now, if you are someone who goes to the gym or works out, you would know that everybody dreads cardio. The strongest of the strongest beasts out there struggle to run more than a few minutes on the treadmill. Well, I've been the same too.  As a school kid, I actively took part in athletic games in school. I was the fastest runner and usually always won all the awards on sports' day. I was never really 'fond of' running though. I just naturally happened to be a fast runner and while I did enjoy the attention and medals I got every year, it wasn't particularly something I wanted to do every day. However, I was forced into it as a child and I was made to run every morning as a part of my exercise. I was supposed to time myself as I ran 100 metres and was expected to get faster over time. 10 rounds every day at 5:30 in the morning and never-ending jogs d

She looked at herself in the mirror and tilted her head in reluctance. She spread the dress with her hand and examined it from all angles. No matter how long she stared at it, it wouldn't change.  "What's the matter?" the lady at the store asked. "I really like it but I'm not sure if this is the one," she replied. She stared outside the window with keen eyes as though a kid was witnessing sunset for the first time at the horizon.  'Bride to be' said the name of the store. An enormous store with the most elegant gowns were displayed. It looked like the ones the richest of the rich would go to. Angela though, was not rich. She was a regular girl-next-door with a job at the local coffee shop in Southern California. She had a charming smile and blonde hair that rested right below her shoulders. She had a soothing aura around her and gleaming, dark blue eyes.  "What are you looking at?" asked Joe, the guy she'd be married to, in less tha

In 2018, archeologists found a tomb in Western Ukraine that was estimated to be 3000 years old. In the tomb, they found the remains of a man and woman buried together. What was special about this burial though, was that the woman was next to the man, hugging him. It is predicted that upon the death of the man, the woman- probably his wife, chose to be buried alive, next to him. This wasn't the only case, though. In fact, it was so common in the Bronze Age that a professor named Mykola Bandrivsky conducted a study on 'loving couple burials'. Many of them had the woman voluntarily join their husbands into the afterlife.  Love- what's the most you've done for it? How crazy have you been or how different have you been? Actually, how do you define love in the first place? Does the definition of love change with passing generations? In the era of independence, feminism, awareness and the ever-growing world, how much space does love occupy? When I look around myself, I see

She ran up the stairs of the building in panic. She looked around for direction boards but there were none to be seen. She was dressed in a vintage black dress that extended just a little below her knees and had puffy shoulders.  Her blonde bob-cut hair had grown to touch her shoulders. She looked like a British lady in the mid 1900's.  "Excuse me, where's the children's day care?" she asked a man, panting.  "It's on the second floor," he replied. She jumped up the stairs and spotted a bright coloured room. Just as she was about to barge in, she was stopped by a lady.  "Hi, I'm here to pick up Julie," she said, in a hurry. The lady looked around at the children playing at the daycare.  "Ma'am, there is no one by the name Julie here," she replied.  "What? No. She's my daughter. I know she's here," she said, looking confused. She looked at the children, perplexed.  "Oh! There she is. The girl with the

Growing up, I've always loved rain. Living in a city that poured rain throughout the year, the exclusive rainy season just meant more rain. I've been a Bollywood fan too, my entire life and who romanticizes rain better than Bollywood does? I always hoped to experience one of those 'sudden rains' that happened only in films. I wanted to say something dramatic and watch someone walk away while it suddenly starts raining and I look up at the sky and just stand there, drenching. I also wanted to dance in the rain. Bollywood has given us some iconic rain dances. Be it the 'Tip Tip Barsa Pani' where everyone went gaga over Raveena Tandon in a yellow saree or the evergreen 'Tum Se Hi' of Jab We Met where Kareena and Shahid begin dancing in the rain- it was all so dreamy! Every time it started raining, the only thing I could think of was what an amazing dance I could choreograph for it or what a dramatic scene I could direct.  As I grew a little older, getting d

Growing up, I've always had very conflicting personalities. One part of me never grew up and one part of me grew up too soon. There is maybe a certain part of me that resonates with my age; I'm not sure. I sat in my room, looking around. On my table, there was my colouring book with a box of colour pencils on top of it. Yes, the colouring book that children usually have. I've always loved colouring and I've had many such books. I never really progressed at it or became an artist but I still love colouring. Every now and then, I find myself colouring a picture in that book with utmost patience and satisfaction.  Right opposite to my table, was my bed. There lay an unfinished scarf that I was knitting for myself. I picked it up and began to knit a few rows into it. I looked at the scarf and then at the colouring book. I noticed how both of them were so different. One spoke of a child, unleashing his or her creativity through colours and the other spoke of an old woman, fi

I was back home from an eventful day. I had nearly missed my exam because I had been foolish enough to assume it was in the afternoon whereas it was being held at 9:30 in the morning. After a friend had saved me from falling into my own trap of stupidity, I had managed to reach on time for the exam. I let out a sigh once I came home and threw myself on the bed. I had rechecked my timetable twice and it was safe to say that I did not have an exam the next day. I looked at the clock. It was noon.  "Anj, shall I come today?" I texted my friend. I had been wanting to go all the way to Church Street to meet my friend who lived barely 3 kilometres away. After all, he had landed himself a wonderful job at one of the most happening streets of the city.  "Sure! Come at around 4:30," he said.  Along with meeting him, I wanted to visit a stall on Church Street that had those colourful braids we could put on. I planned to reach there at around 4 p.m so I could get the braids an

I cleaned up the messy kitchen, tired after a dinner party that I had hosted. My final exams were to begin the next day but a Halloween party was more important, right? I bid goodbye to my lovely friends and jumped on my bed at 12:30 a.m. I was in no mood to sit upright on a study table and prepare for the next day. I lay on my bed in an awkward position and opened my notes on my phone. Two topics later, my eyes gave up.  'Anyway the exam is at 12:30 p.m. I'll study the rest tomorrow morning,' I told myself.  I was up at 8:30 a.m. I fed my ever-hungry cat and went to the kitchen to cook breakfast. There was absolutely nothing in the fridge. My grandpa suggested that we order in. I went back to my cozy room and picked up my phone to order a fresh plate of poori for him.  "I'm in college. Where are you all?" said a text from my friend, Yuktha.  "The exam is at 12:30 p.m. What are you doing there so early?" I said, laughing at her.  'It is at 12:30

October was coming to an end. A few vacations and soon, it would be 2024. October holds a peculiar spot in my heart. While it marks the birthdays of a few important people in my life, it also marks the day I lost my grandmom. Four years ago, on the 19th of October, she bid goodbye to me with only her memories, a few sarees and green bangles remaining to remind us of her. Days turned gloomy as the 19th of the month approached and that day in specific, was a rather melancholic day for no reason. A few days later, a dear friend of mine lost his 14 year-old dog. While he claimed that he was very much ready to lose him and nothing in this world could affect him, he broke down and cried his heart out that day. This made me wonder- would the pain be easier if someone were to show us the future and tell us that we would lose something on a particular day, or is the spontaneity of life better? I have always been someone who has prepared myself for losses. The only reason I did not break down af

I sat by my bed with the fan running at full speed. The window brought in some light and life into the otherwise dark room. I picked up my knitting needles and began to knit from where I had stopped the last time. I was making a scarf for myself. All this while, I had only made them for people who were very special to me. I decided it was time to make one for myself too. I cut the white wool and joined in a ball of yellow wool. I continued to knit and admired how well the colours blended into each other, effortlessly. Knitting teaches you a lot of patience. Every knot, every row and every inch of the fabric is knit manually and can leave you not knowing when mornings turned into evenings.  As I knitted along, I noticed how the scarf went from one needle to the other. For those of you who don't knit, this is briefly how it works- the scarf rests on one needle while you use the other needle to sew in the wool, making tiny knots. In the process, the scarf gets transferred to the othe

What's one thing that I'd bring back from the past? Well, I have a list of things. Some of them are moments, some are things and well, some are people but they're dead. Something reasonable that I would bring back though, is friendship. No, not just friendship in general because I have plenty of friends. Some of them live far away, some of them have been pushed far by me and some of them have even left the country! The friendship of one beautiful soul on this planet is what I'd bring back.   How often do you look up to people? I'm not talking about that motivational speaker you saw on YouTube or the actor who won a Filmfare award. I'm talking about someone in your own life. If you're lucky enough, you might find one in your family. I didn't. Oh, don't take me wrong; I find a few people in my family to be really strong but I don't go gaga over them. For most part of my life, I've been compelled to be hyper-independent. That also fed my ego to

She stepped out of her house for the fifth time. She wasn't going to go back in this time. After a long debate with herself regarding whether or not she deserved a new birthday dress at that age, she had finally decided that she was going to buy one.  Scarlett was turning 32. Of course she wasn't old. 'Early thirties' was still considered young, right? She did feel old to hit the club, though. Gone were those years where she'd gulp down bottles of alcohol and dance to the DJ's tunes. What she would do now, was enjoy a hearty lunch with her girls and a silent candle light dinner with her fiance.  She entered the well-lit store with the most beautiful dresses on display. She had learnt by then that most people did not look like a mannequin and hence, the dress on it would not be as flattering on a human.  "Hi! How can I help you?" squeaked a lady. "Hi, umm, I'm looking for a birthday dress," she hesitantly said.  "Oh! Happy birthday!&q

August had been the most hectic month of the year. With juggling a draining internship at the newspaper, college, assignments, research and taking care of my cat who fell sick, I barely had the time to breathe. I dragged myself to the gym as often as I could but struggled to cook at least one proper dish everyday. I toiled away throughout the month and when the month finally came to an end, I breathed in peace. It was the afternoon of a Monday and I had finished my classes which gets over as early as 12:30 pm. I enjoyed a good meal while I watched my favourite show on TV. I had the entire day to myself. I could prioritise whatever I felt was necessary for that day. I had no deadlines, no tasks and nobody sitting on a chair, demanding me to run my day in a certain way. I walked around the house with my headphones on, listening to some good Bollywood music. I then picked up my phone and began to scroll through the latest updates of my rich friends.  "What are you doing?" I text

I pulled down the sleeves of my sweater as the temperatures dropped. Monsoon in Bangalore was bringing in an early winter. My feet and hands turned cold and I opted for my Kashmiri-wool cardigan that I had very proudly bought during my solo trip to Kashmir. The temperature was 22 degree celsius but mind you, it felt like a mere 15 degrees. I rejoiced at the weather. I loved cold climates where I did not have to bother about being tanned or dealing with sticky perspiration of myself and of others. Winters were wonderful and when indoors, the monsoon was great too! I wished winters could last forever. It suddenly struck me that winters were not the only things I wished lasted forever.  Change- the only constant thing in this world. Why did things have to change, though? Why could some things just not settle down when they were perfect? I had begun to notice how I hated change of any sort. I absolutely adored being in a cosy, comfort zone that I had created for myself where everything was