Toh Zinda Ho Tum..

"Jab jab dard ka baadal chaya
Jab ghum ka saya lehraya
Jab aansoo palkon tak aya
Jab yeh tanha dil ghabraya
Humne dil ko yeh samjhaya
Dil aakhir tu kyun rota hai
Duniya mein yunhi hota hai
Yeh jo gehre sannate hain
Waqt ne sabko hi baante hain
Thoda ghum hai sabka qissa
Thodi dhoop hai sabka hissa
Aankh teri bekaar hi nam hai
Har pal ek naya mausam hai
Kyun tu aise pal khota hai
Dil aakhir tu kyun rota hai..."

"Ik baat honton tak hai jo aayi nahin
Bas ankhon say hai jhaankti
Tumse kabhi, mujhse kabhi
Kuch lafz hain woh maangti
Jinko pehanke honton tak aa jaaye woh
Aawaaz ki baahon mein baahein daalke ithlaye woh
Lekin jo yeh ik baat hai
Ahsas hi ahsas hai
Khushboo si hai jaise hawa mein tairti
Khushboo jo be-aawaaz hai
Jiska pata tumko bhi hai
Jiski khabar mujhko bhi hai
Duniya se bhi chupta nahin
Yeh jaane kaisa raaz hai..."

"Pighle neelam sa behta ye sama,
Neeli neeli si khamoshiyan,
Na kahin hai zameen
Na kahin aasmaan,
Sarsaraati hui tehniyaan pattiyaan,
Keh raheen hai bas ek tum ho yahan,
Bas main hoon,
Meri saansein hain aur meri dhadkanein,
Aisi gehraiyaan, aisi tanhaiyaan,
Aur main...Sirf main.
Apne hone par mujhko yakeen aa gaya."

"Dilon mein tum apni
Betaabiyan leke chal rahe ho
Toh zinda ho tum
Nazar mein khwabon ki
Bijliyan leke chal rahe ho
Toh zinda ho tum
Hawa ke jhokon ke jaise
Aazad rehno sikho
Tum ek dariya ke jaise
Lehron mein behna sikho
Har ek lamhe se tum milo
Khole apni bhaayein
Har ek pal ek naya samha
Dekhen yeh nigahaein
Jo apni aankhon mein
Hairaniyan leke chal rahe ho
Toh zinda ho tum
Dilon mein tum apni
Betaabiyan leke chal rahe ho
Toh zinda ho tum"

"Because I Have Something Worth Living For."

Last Scene: Harry, Ron and Hermione stood at the King’s Cross Station. And they focus on the three faces as the movie ends. That’s the closing shot. It manages to say so much to a fan who has lived through and grown up watching them, reading about them. I’m left misty eyed then. That’s the moment when it actually hits you – IT’s OVER.

A journey that started on 30^th June 1997 draws to an end in 15^th July 2011, fourteen years later. It’s been an epic journey, to say the least. What started as a two-three hundred fantasy novel turned into a worldwide phenomenon. Every time a Harry Potter book or a movie released, the sale reached a record high. Every single time. I don’t think anybody, even Rowling herself, could have foreseen this in those early days.

Like a million others, I too have grown up as the series progressed. I remember when the first movie released; we had a spare ticket and had wanted to sell it off. But we were sure that no one will buy a single ticket, that too at the last minute. But when we reached the theatres, there were hundreds ready to buy even that single ticket! That was just the beginning of what later became more than just a rage.

Every time a movie released, I had to go for the first day first show. School, exam, nothing could stop me. I remember being yelled at by my teacher for skipping a math test for a movie. I remember her words. She said, “All your priorities are mixed up. No movie is more important than a math test!” I obviously thought otherwise. Similar incident happened in the 10^th grade. I had a board assignment presentation on the release day. But I convinced the teacher that I had a doctor’s appointment and hence couldn’t come to school that day. Every movie was watched at least thrice in the theatres, to say the least. I had all the walls in my room covered with Harry Potter posters. After the release of every movie, I would ask the PVR people to give the posters, the face masks, everything they had.

Books were a different thing. Books were pre-ordered months before their release. And the wait and the anxiety before getting hold of the copy would be so intense. I remember the day the book had to be released; I would go to the mall at some 4 a.m. and stand. Hundreds would come. We all would be standing queues, dressed up in robes with scars on our four heads. Till some 10 a.m. Hours of wait made no difference because the excitement of getting to hold and to read that book was pure priceless! When deathly hallows was released in 2007, I was fifteen. Everybody was reading the book at their max speed as the most important questioned loomed large. Who will die- Harry or Lord Voldemort? I remember reading the book at the slowest possible speed. I didn’t want it to get over. NO. No. No. It was as if every word was savoured when read. Every emotion was felt so deeply. Tears were shed when Fred died or when we all learned the truth about Snape. Anger when Mad –eye Moody was killed. Happy tears when Albus Severus Potter joins Hogwarts – a feeling of déjà vu. A hope that it may start all over again.

July 15^th’11: When the Deathly Hallows Part 2 released, for the first time I broke my tradition of not watching the first day first show. I delayed watching it as much as I could. My father would jokingly say, “You’re not a loyal fan anymore.” That wasn’t true. I delayed watching it because I didn’t want it to end. No, not at all. It seemed like as if once I saw the movie, Harry Potter series would be over, for good. And that wasn’t something I or I’m sure a million others were looking forward too even though we couldn’t wait to watch it.

A lot of my friends, rather my closest friends are not Harry Potter fans. The make fun of me for loving it so much. I’m not a person who enjoys or finds books about magic and fantasy interesting. This series has been the only exception. And has been loved by me the most. A lot of people find the movies ‘lame’ because they haven’t read the books so obviously for them a boy  and a man without a nose supposedly trying to kill each other with two thin wooden sticks with colored fireworks popping out really doesn’t look intelligent. But the point is, They haven’t read the books so they don’t know what it’s truly about.

There was a reason why every book was read a million times over and over again. There was a reason for the rush to see the movies. There is a reason for the sadness of it all getting over. The reason why billions of people – from 7 year olds to 80 year olds- love it and it isn’t just about magic. It’s about love, friendship, anger, loneliness, helplessness, evil things, cruelty, unfairness, magic, hope and everything that we non-magical MUGGLES feel. It’s about the hope we all have of finding the good over the fact that life or people have been unfair. It’s about GOOD over EVIL.

             Lord Voldemort: "Why do you live?"

             Harry Potter: "Because I have something worth living for."

Aren’t we all suckers for happy endings?

I think JK Rowling is purely a genius for having the outstanding ability for thinking and imagining such stuff. The fact remains, even though it’s getting over and we’re all left heart-broken, the series is going to live in every fan’s heart. Cause most of us have over a decade’s life and memories attached to it.

So yeah, Harry, Ron, Hermione and the secrete wizarding world is truly going to be missed. L

Through My Lens : Deep Waters.

What one Rain can do to a very posh Golf Course Road of the Millennium City.

To the Prime Minister of India.

Respected Sir,

Dr. Manmohan Singh- the name stands for the most powerful position of our country- the PRIME MINISTER of India. You have been labelled as our only honest politician. Someone who works extremely hard at the age of 78 for his country, one of the greatest economists of India and yet the most humble, the nicest human beings.

Yet, today, things seem to go wrong. Everywhere- news papers, news channels, internet- I see criticisms against you. Lot of people have complaints. Corruption, Inflation, 2G scam, CWG scam, etc etc. Some say that you’re being controlled by Ms. Sonia Gandhi, others use phrases like ‘Lame Duck’.

On 20^th February 2011 an article in the Times Of India titled, “THE END OF AN AURA’ used phrases like a puppet prime minister who is using coalition as an excuse; failed to control inflation; corrupt cabinet and so on.  Questions like – Has Manmohan Singh lost the plot? – are being asked today. ‘A quiet man who is lonely at the top.” “I’m not that big a culprit as is being made out.” “The man who just last year was on the Time’s magazine’s power list seems to be losing his halo.”

When your leadership skills are being questioned and such awful things are being said about you, I’m hurt and extremely saddened.

You have been my idol and my inspiration since forever; since the time I had enough sense to decide for myself. I am an Economics student. When most take up this subject because of its value and future prospects, I took it up for the love of the subject. I wanted to grow up and be like you. When I read about you, I decided if I can be even a bit as smart and as humble a human like you, I’ll call it a success.

I know at this point of time a lot many hurdles have diseased our country. With the Lokpal Bill rampage, hue and cry over corruption and an ever increasing inflationary rate; we live in difficult times. We live in the times of scams and lies. With every fuel price hike or an interest rate increase, the efficiency of the government is questioned. I won’t say that’s wrong because I myself see and experience the ordeals we face today. I realise how difficult it is to survive today with the increasing prices. I see how thanks to the corruption, all the money of the tax payers that could’ve helped in these troubled times are pocketed by a few people. I mean, that money which is pocketed could easily be used to give a higher fuel subsidy and hence control over all inflation. We see everyday how people with money can bribe their way to grow whereas an honest worker is still stuck at the bottom as he can work hard but can’t bribe. Every day, sure is a struggle.

But I don’t see how these issues can be used to put up a Congress versus BJP argument. We all know that, had BJP been in power, things would have been no better. I feel when people are living in hard times; it’s a common nature to blame because it gives us a hope that the other can solve our problems. I agree when people say the government can do a lot to help its people. It’s completely true. But I don’t agree when one man – you alone – are blamed for it. I can only imagine how hard it is to run a coalition. Not just coalitions, we all know how our political system works. If one man alone could change things, India wouldn’t have been a multi party democracy. It would have been something close to a dictatorship. Yes, you are the Prime Minister. And yes, it’s your government but we all know you’re also bound to the majority. No bill can be passed without a majority in the Parliament so how can you alone change everything?

Another allegation is that you’re not television friendly and don’t communicate. And probably in response to that you held a discussion with five senior print journalists, recently. But that didn’t go too well either. The argument put forward is that in today’s times with so much technology and media spread all over, the Prime Minister should speak to the masses when addressing their concerns. Not to a handful. To a large extent that is true. Contrarily, I feel that the decision is with you. You choose to work rather than to talk on what SHALL be done. And really, if a person talks less you can’t hold it against him/her.

Basically, all I’d like you to know is that I support you. If at all it makes a difference, I believe in you when many don’t. You have been my idol and whatever people may say, I won’t believe that you’re being controlled or whatever. Because I know you wouldn’t hold the position of the Prime Minister if you knew that you can’t deal with the nation’s problems. Your economic policies in the 90s are the reason India has grown. It has become that strong a power because of the policies introduced by you. So how can someone who let to its growth let it all fall down in an instant?

Yours,

An Indian.