The Girl With The Golden Heart . . . . . .

The annual elections were going on in our school. People were busy shouting, laughing, goofing around and quite a few were running about looking like someone had set their hair on fire. It was the perfect setting for confusion and chaos. I was one of the 10 students who were nominated for the post of the Assistant Heads of our school. It was there in that setting that I found my eternal inspiration.

Her name is Lahari, she is a student at my school and also my good friend. She was one of my many competitors who were all competing against each other for the post of the Assistant Head Boy or Girl respectively. But I feel that competing is not the apt word for it as all the guys and girls who had been nominated are my close friends, on the contrary we were quite pally with each other and each was a staunch supporter of the other.

But even we could not deny the truth that only one girl and one guy would be chosen as the Head girl and Head boy respectively. Our election process is quite a simple one. We campaign for a few days in all the senior classes of our school, namely class 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. After the campaigning is done, we make our formal speeches in the assembly and finally the children as well as the entire staff of the school are asked to vote, the votes are counted and the heads are declared.

It was a short but incredibly terrifying experience for me. And I'm proud to say that I was elected by my fellow school mates as the next Assistant Head Girl of my school. But I have dedicated this post to my friend and hence I will commence with her story. As I said she was one of my competitors, so when I won, it meant she lost. Despite that she put on a brave face and congradulated me whole-heartedly. I was really touched by this simple selfless act of her's but it was not only she who came forward to do this, all of my friends came ahead and even though they had encountered a personal setback they tried to feel happyfor my sake.

But that's not why I admire her. After the Heads are elected, the children who have not been elected and the rest of the other nominated children are asled to stand for the post of the vice captain's of the houses in our school. We have four houses: Ganga- Blue, Cauvery- Red, Godavari- Yellow and Krishna- Green. Lahari is in Godavari house and hence she stood for that post, but there was another candidate who also spoke equally well and hence Lahari lost out to her. I never saw how heart broken she was until I saw a few tear drops rolling down her cheeks. I was shoked and immediately turned to comfort her. That's when I realized how cleverly she'd been hiding her tears behind an ever-smiling friendly face.

Not only had she accepted her defeat in the first election so gracefully but she'd also smiled and congradulated the other contestant in her second defeat. She did what I never could have done, she fell once but pulled herself right back up, walked out in front of those crowds of thousands with her head held high until it had been too much for her. But even then after seeing how alarmed I was at her tears she again made an effort to transform into the happy-go-lucky Lahari I knew. She'd always been a good friend but it was not until that day that I'd seen the real fighter inside her, she'd managed to conceal so carefully. For this I salute her.

She's the perfect example of the idiom "Failures are stepping stones to success." I'm sure that this is just a minor setback for her and that something greater is in store for her. So I'm hoping that her day comes soon, till then my fingers are crossed. And another reason why I admire her is beacuse I've become very lazy, I havent blogged in almost 2 months or something, I've lost count. Her actions have moved me to words and hence I feel she deserves another salute. So a BIG thankyou, Lahari! Keep Smiling.

Red Means Stop.

Traffic safety is something that is taught to every child once he reaches an age where he can fully comprehend and understand things. "Look, left, right and then left again" has become the anthem for helicopter moms and policemen. Don't run across the road or step in front of a car are some rules that children don't tend to forget easily, not with their self preservation at stake.

But we mustn't forget that not only humans use the roads but other animals also do tend to cross them. These animals unfortunately cannot sense the flow of traffic and its up to us to drive sanely. Any Indian worth their driver's license should know that. Stray dogs sometimes dash across the road madly in an attempt to somehow reach the other side. They act completely out of instinct and don't know how to judge the oncoming traffic. Their first reaction will be to cross to the other side at any cost. One slight mistake by a careless driver and that dog will never reach the other side.

Not only dogs but other animals too are in extreme danger of being hit while crossing the roads. Buffaloes especially. These animals generally move around in herds and you can often notice the traffic breaking around them like a stream would around a rock. These great beasts simply don't budge from their path whether its a car about to ram into them or a bus! No one has taught them to walk on a foot path, they don't give a hoot to our skimpy human customs.

So in other words its almost too easy to run over a wayward puppy or cat. I've had too many painful and real life experiences with these kind of accidents. Just a few days ago a puppy I saw alive the previous evening  was smashed to pulp the next morning. The people who commit these kinds of crimes ought to be charged with murder. Believe me it would be a big deal if it was a person under the wheel of the vehicle rather than an animal.

The law would catch up to anybody who was involved in the accident and make them pay. The thing that's really sick about this is that the same kind of injustice happens everyday with animals but is failed to brought to notice. The worst thing about these drivers are that these scum never stop for a second to check whether the animal they hit is going to be okay or has already passed away or what. They owe at least that to their victim.

But I'm sure that not everyone is so thickheaded. So, Please if you see this kind of thing happening on a road near your house, make the person who brought about the suffering pay and provide the animal care. It's not the mere fact of being human that induces humanity in us but only by executing any act of kindness that helps a lesser being we understand the true meaning of being humane.   

Love you, Brother.

Life is a Journey. This is a universal truth which no one can deny. We begin our Journey when we are born, and it is intensified once we set our goals. There is no denying the fact that it is a bumpy road and we often tend to get jostled during the rougher parts. And that is where our family steps in. They right us and put us back on our feet sort of like the pit stop crew of a racing car. My family are the reason behind why my life rocks. They are the reason why I recover after a shock or renew my determination after a minor setback. 

I am terrified of looking bad in public. If things go wrong the incident places a dent in my self esteem and it takes a lot of reassuring to make me believe that I am capable again. I have a lovely family, my Mom: my philosopher and guide, my Dad: my pillar of strength and the object of my eternal love, my Bro: my hanger out and occasional conscience, my Grandparents: my lives and last but undoubtedly the most important my Dog: my baby and my true love. And of course my extended family, namely my teachers, friends and other wonderful people who taught me that Life is an adventure that we should enjoy to the fullest. 

But since I've dedicated this post to my brother, I'll just brief you on him. He is an overgrown monkey, my twin and a complete headache. Excepting the times when he annoys the hell out of me, I find that I really enjoy having him in my life. We gamble for our parents attention and often they turn into hostages in our never-ending  wars. Being the same age as your sibling can be exciting and at the same time frustrating. You don't have the power to oppress him with the excuse of being elder than him, you don't enjoy the benefits of being the younger adorable sibling, so its kind of balanced out with each no edge over the other.

But looking back on all the time we spent together I just can't believe we spent so much time fighting! My brother is  really sweet guy and needs to be pushed into the spotlight a bit. But once someone does the mistake of giving him the mic the floor is completely his. I'd like to say we too have our moments of bhai - behen  pyaar but we just skate through them cause it is just the teensiest bit awkward to tell someone who you spend the majority of your time fighting with that you love. Inspite of me clawing his face of on more than one occasion my brother stands up for me. He just can't take any criticism directed at me and neither can I tolerate anyone badmouthing him.

I do love him very much but he isn't the only boy who is a brother to me. Technically I consider all the boys I'm friends with to be my brothers but there are quite few who really stand out. For example the boy next door (or rather opposite my house) and my best friend, is  brother to me in all but blood. He and I have known each other since childhood and we share a certain comfort level. He is the only guy who I can speak to freely without feeling self conscious. To him, I'm his best sister (he loathes his own . . . figures)he ever recieved and is relieved to have a female friend who he can speak to without any awkwardness.

Every Raksha Bandhan I march up to his house and ask, no demand my Rakhi present from him while brandishing my rakhi like sword! The poor guy always complies. But that is besides the point. I love the feeling that two good guys are always looking after me and will haul me right back up if I stumble. So, thanks guys for making my life even more rangeen with your presence!

Marine Drive Of The Twin Cities!

 A few days ago, I happened to drive past Hussain Sagar ( I didn't drive of course, my dad did!) or Tank Bund as it is locally know. As suggested by my previous posts, I am addicted to anything Nature oriented and I remember holding my breath as we drove past, dumbstruck at its beauty. There were boats sailing on the water at top speed, a few birds gliding above lazily and there was that fresh breeze that you always find around water bodies.

I still smile when I remember the sensation of getting drunk on the beauty of the sight. On an earlier visit here, I realized how much Hyderabadi's loved this lake of theirs. It had been raining and our windows were rolled up. I strained my eyes, trying to look past the torrent of rain. What I saw sent me into a fit of giggles. There was a guy sitting on one of the benches which adorned the borders of the lake.  Oblivious to the pouring rain, he continued to sit and gaze at the lake, totally content. It might have been a sunny day for all he knew! Only when I noticed him I realized that he was just one of the many passion - struck Hyderabadi's who'd assembled there to witness the lake in all its glory. Their simple act of passion humbled me and I too yearn to become one of them.

In all of my years in Hyderabad, I've come to appreciate the fierce clash of culture and diverse mix of people, places, languages and religions. Hyderabad is no longer 'a city', I now regard it with a more possessive air and consider it to be 'My City'. The drive around Tank Bund is especially soothing to me. Coupled with the scenic beauty and the little nuggets of information present in the form of statues, I try my best to take that route whenever possible.

Hyderabad Rocks!  Is all I can say about this city.  No wonder it's the capital of Andhra!We find unity in diversity, and I hope we will continue to do so in the years to come.

The Brook

The Brook


I come from haunts of coot and hern,
I make a sudden sally

And sparkle out among the fern,

To bicker down a valley.

By thirty hills I hurry down,

Or slip between the ridges,

By twenty thorpes, a little town,

And half a hundred bridges.



Till last by Philip's farm I flow

To join the brimming river,

For men may come and men may go,

But I go on for ever.

I chatter over stony ways,

In little sharps and trebles,

I bubble into eddying bays,

I babble on the pebbles.



With many a curve my banks I fret

By many a field and fallow,

And many a fairy foreland set

With willow-weed and mallow.



I chatter, chatter, as I flow

To join the brimming river,

For men may come and men may go,

But I go on for ever.

I wind about, and in and out,

With here a blossom sailing,

And here and there a lusty trout,

And here and there a grayling,



And here and there a foamy flake

Upon me, as I travel

With many a silvery waterbreak

Above the golden gravel,

And draw them all along, and flow

To join the brimming river

For men may come and men may go,

But I go on for ever.



I steal by lawns and grassy plots,

I slide by hazel covers;

I move the sweet forget-me-nots

That grow for happy lovers.



I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,

Among my skimming swallows;

I make the netted sunbeam dance

Against my sandy shallows.

I murmur under moon and stars

In brambly wildernesses;

I linger by my shingly bars;

I loiter round my cresses;



And out again I curve and flow

To join the brimming river,

For men may come and men may go,

But I go on for ever.

                                       - Alfred Lord Tennyson

This poem, the Brook by Alfred Lord Tennyson is one poem which I completely adore. I happened cross it purely by chance or maybe fate. That I shall never know, but I do know one thing: This guy is a genius. In his personification of a stream he describes in detail the small unaffected route this tiny stream takes to join the river. The stream is completely indifferent to what is happening around it and is content in its own happy little bubble.

I guess what I really like about the poem is that this minuscule brook does not have any trace of human pollution on it. In a world where the forces of Nature are fast being oppressed this brook doesn't give a damn to what the humans do or think of it. Many lines from the poem state the same. The line : " For men may come and men may go, but I go on forever" has earned a permanent place in my heart. The strong individuality of the stream is embodied in these two lines.

It gives me hope, even though this poem was written a long time ago that if one little stream can emerge unscathed from human influence maybe, there is scope for the other's too. This poem makes for a great read, when I feel depressed. I myself am not an avid reader of poems. I would rather plop down on a comfy chair with my nose glues to a novel. But this poem is right up there with all my novels. An evergreen classic, go for it guys!

My Dog’s Trip to The Vet’s Clinic

My dog aged 10 was diagnosed with a Uterus infection approximately a month ago. She is a quite healthy female German shepherd, fun loving and often quite lazy. During the initial stages of the infection we were quite clueless about her condition. And with her being a senior citizen we got quite flustered. Her stomach had bloated up to massive proportions and we were almost misled into thinking that she’d been impregnated.


The Mystery of the Bloated Stomach was quite unnerving as we really didn’t know what was wrong with our girl. We’d ruled out the pregnancy option as we hadn’t taken her for mating, the last one had been approximately 2 years ago. We almost usually tend to overreact when things go wrong with our pet. She was immediately bundled up, thrust into the car and rushed to her doctor.

Doc too didn’t seem to know what was wrong with her until he had her scanned. The scan came up murky and unclear. It was then that the idea of an infection popped into his head. We hadn’t yet grasped the gravity of the situation until he informed us that he had to operate on her immediately. As a result of the infection almost 2-3 liters of puss had formed in her uterus causing it to balloon up. Our dog had been sloshing around for almost two days carrying this heavy load before it came into our notice.

His quick thinking and on the spot decision making were I feel, the only two things that saved her life. Once the operation had commenced successfully, we were allowed to bring her home with us.

She was greeted like the Indian team, after winning the World Cup! The good thing was, she is alive and with us today. The bad thing – He (the doctor) stuck her head in a cone (the kind they often use in hospitals). This was unfortunately necessary as it would prevent her from opening up her stitches, which the doctor predicted would cause some discomfort to her in the coming days.

So for the past few days, she’s been lurching around bumping into furniture and looking very much like a scoop of chocolate ice cream in a cone! Only a few days ago, she’d been freed from her burden and is now on the road to recovery. I do salute to the man behind her recovery and I feel that we too can do more service to the animal world by considering this career option ourselves (The veterinary field).