Why I need to write..??

Before I attempt to write poetry back in the year 2009, my first short story was written after I narrate a story of a woman in our locality to my friends and the fateful incident happen to her. I was in class XI and could recall the horrifying and most ashamed thing happened in my locality though everybody thinks that they were right.

Well, poetry was revived after a long time, in fact after the school days though I used to write so many things in my diary but not in the form of poetry. English is one of the most difficult language for me as I have studied from Manipuri medium till my high school and one reason why  I still make it a habit to write any damn thing in my diary was to overcome the language constraint and also to free myself from any burden. There were times, I can not say all the things to parents, friends and when I feel terrible about something, I usually write in my diary only. There were many things which I just wrote, never to read again. It was like a meditation and a treatment for me. Bought the first diary when I was in class, when nothing to write, I used to open English-Manipuri dictionary and used to keep a record of the most difficult English words. Still I wish to keep a beautiful diary and write everyday before I sleep but already addiction with laptop and internet is getting me no time.

So many things lined up, I do not know where to start. Moreover, I just want to give a final touch to the two landmark story, I have ever attempted so far. The draft of the story has been spread among so many of them, some part of the story seems to be diluted. Sometime it hurts when your interest conflicts with your profession. While I have to do a 8 am to 5 pm job for five days and then engage with so many other things, no time is left to even open the draft of the story.  My only dream of completing those two stories is because I want to tell the story of those two women and what happened to them. Every time I sit down in front of my laptop, I feel guilty of not completing the story and it was a burden to me for so long. So far, I try to adapt the best and worst part of their life but still I don't want to compromise with my writing when I'm narrating their story. That's my commitment to the social crime happened to those women. I wish to show to the world that they are the real hero and not those who drag them to a level where they live with shame. As a research to complete their story, I used to talk to many people in the locality, but no one still say a good word and have mercy towards them. It seems like world was cruel for them and I also watched her when she was insulted by the whole community without her fault. Well, hope I will pull up all my courage to portray as they wish to live without anyone's scrutiny in their life.

As I'm going home in few days, I'm just reviving my memory and I hope I'm ready for the last touch to the story after my home visit. Hope I can just walk around see their children and how their life has been changed from rich to rags in the one decade.

Scent of my Home!!

Trying to grasp with the lost scent of the homeland, not through the fragrance of the flowers, not through the melodies in the distant hills but the echoing songs of the gunshots that ceaselessly singing like the unbeatable July rain. Worth remembering was my first Diwali in Delhi, I got numb and hide behind the door hearing the sound of the crackers and I just thought the scent of the home followed me till my doorstep in Delhi.

September !!

When there were so many reason 

and the time was just right 

We did nothing and said nothing

We have told other people 

We love them, at the same time

We have leant on other's shoulder

feeling sense of total trust

Could it not happen?

Could it happen?

You, here for all these years

Me, for all these years
Our path have never crossed
except on this September night..!!

Time...!!

Like the Autumn leaflets, everything falls 
I fought like the warriors 
Gruesome time went away 
Slipped from my hands
Towards tomorrow
Leaving nothing to keep with me 
Memory, your smile 
All are scattered in the wind 
Never to come together
You and I , the lost worriers 
Against this unsanctioned clock of life..

Ode to my first Love!

Everything is allowed in our society except expressing what you feel. I think this is one challenge which led me to find out my first love and have even work so hard to be with him someday. Destiny has some other plan and that I do not know what is stored in future but I'm simply a happy go lucky girl now. I'm in love with my life now, hardly complaint about what I do and I do not think twice now unlike other woman but I simply can fall in love with a man without pros and cons. Finally, I'm able to identify love sans the materialistic and there lies the sense of being in love even without a bonding of a relationship. Love is all about you being happy even in the memory of a person who may or may not be living with you.

I like experimenting people's reaction when I asked them about weird non-traditional questions and I keep doing that since school days. This time I told my friends that I'm going to say a guy that I want to date him despite of knowing that there is no possibility of future for us. Just because I find him extremely handsome, attractive, charming and a good human. Everyone drop their cup of tea, no he is that kind, he is not that kind, you can not do that, he still belong to that family, that society, that community, that caste and so on. The direction of whole communication changes to a social drama; I was like watching real life Styagraha, a social drama. I got really pissed off and said why did not you object when a friend of ours married to a man without even liking him and his family just because she is turning 30 years and she won't get a suitable husband once she crossed that age. Which one is more important for you all and why are you all act like a moralist? I continue my argument saying I just said I want to express my feelings for him and I did not say anything beyond that. Did I say I'm going to pursue him, leave my job and fast unto death if he deny or if he says he does not have any soft corner for me. You guys are suicidal, why so judgmental about him just because he belong to a community we do not like it and I do not know where you all belong to. I added saying that you all will say yes go ahead if I say I'm ready to compromise and marry that guy whom I do not even want to see his face though he belong to my community. I know what is going on in the society better than anyone of you but it is just that I do not want to follow it and don't feel it worth to just jump in the bed with a person whom I'm not in love. One of them argue that what if he deny and cut all the existing relation with you and we do not want to see you hurt? I said I'm ready to accept happily whatever is his response as he has the right to make his choice and if cuts off everything with me then it's simple file work, I will add another name in my list cowards and losers. Above all once he become one of them, I can no longer have respect for him and love will cease automatically. That was the end of the conversation and somehow I'm rather affected by their conversation and decided to keep mum over the things we discussed.

Even my friends said why do you give credit of your writing and poetry to your first love and he is such a big loser. They told me about their meeting with him when they gave them a copy of the book. I said, leave him aside, he has not grown up yet. I told him I like him when I was just 19 years and till now if he thinks that I'm in hang over just because I honestly think that he was the reason for me to start writing in the late '90 then I'm not in the mood to explain to him. Whatever he thinks is not my headache now. Let him think but I honestly feel that I should thank him for inspiring me in those days, I even name my mother as one reason for writing, so what is the big D? I will not hesitate to name him as the one, from whom I learn the meaning of love, lost, anguish, pain and every emotions associated with him. I would not be an honest person towards others if he he has not betrayed me and did not make me feel that how painful it is when someone you love hurt you, cheat on you. That's one reason I always make sure that I never hurt anyone intentionally who are in love with me and I learn to show the utmost respect to the one who shows affection towards me unlike him.

After all, do you think that a chemistry student who was struggling in Miranda House to even write a correct sentence in English would be obsessed of  writing three volumes of diary within the span of four years with full record of every exchange of letters, postcards and mail between us. I would never know why was love so beautiful that let walk in the rain and be with him though he stayed miles away from me at those days, if not I was in love with him. No one has got the privileged to lost in a dream and even forgotten that she was travelling in a crowded north-east train and unbeaten by the hot north summer and even smile at everyone, if not he did not pay a surprise visit before I left home. Last but not the least, I would not have been so poetic and experiment too much about it if he has not hurt me and broke all the dreams about us and moreover for destroying his own image of good boy, papa's boy. I learnt to live with the reality, I learnt to trust people after knowing and I learnt that love was for me all the time, within my heart, it does not go away with him but he was just a person who was not destined for my precious love. But I'm not the unlucky one just because he denied and cheated on me. It's him, who will be condemned by the love whole his life, not me. I learnt from him that love is the most beautiful and irrational emotion which could ever happen in our life. I know he is not an honest guy, he cheated on me knowingly, play with my emotions and so on reasons but I was crazy for him even after knowing everything. I spent 7 years of my precious life just writing about him, piling up 3 volumes of diary, thinking about him, crying about him, searching him in every face, looking for his smile in every falling image but at the end of everything I have realized that love is not about possession and after our last conversation back in the year 2005, I have never called him, even asked anyone about him though I keep writing every possible dreams of a future where we would meet again and that never happen too. Even I tore up every expectation in my life about falling in love again with any other person because of him and spent hours in the place whenever I go home while trying to keep hold of the moment where we were laughing together and he was showing his photos of new college, future plan, his new friends and I was giggling about my new life in Delhi, new friends and how much I wish to come home as soon as I finish my study to be with him and my family.

Everything changes drastically, I never gave up, but it was the destiny which has given up on me. More than me, my mother was hurt of what I went through and sometime asked me if I'm seeing someone else? I said, do not worry everything is set and will fall in place and we do not need to run after it and I just have to fall in love where my heart say so. People commented frantically to our poem as love sick poem, that's too harsh for people to disregard one's expression of emotions in the purest form. I think our poems are rather a celebration of love and it's world than being sick of love and lovers. No one in our society, especially women express their emotions, that's nontraditional, irrational and unacceptable. Love means marriage, if not that is immoral, what's moral is agreeing to sleep with a stranger by giving a name called husband, that's society's custom. Whatever stand I took till today is against this and I will do the same for the rest of my life too. I know my friends are concerned about me but I feel that it is crazy sometime if they ask me to date every good friend of mine. I wish love is something I can manipulate and love only those who would not hurt me, but this does not happen all the time. May be you can still call me crazy, but I still enjoy the most irrational way of falling in love with an impossible man. Yes, you all deny my theory of asking for a date to the new guy but do you guys think that he is that stupid and dumb who could not see from my smiles, over zealous expression whenever we met and about so many things I have said and written about him. Though I'm not sending a confidential and secret letter of saying what I feel, I have almost done my part saying him all I can say when we got the chance to meet earlier. And I'm least expecting of any fall out between us and as of now I do not rate him as a coward. Here again, I still thank my first love for teaching me to fall in love with the eyes of a man and notice that emotional flow in his face just like an unstoppable flow of a river.

Home!

Things have been changed or I'm have become immune now to whatever situation happened to the home? I'm still trying solve this puzzle. When I was quite new in Delhi and whenever I heard of any gunfight or bomb blast in home, I used to get so scarred and in case I did not get through my father's office land line number, I would start crying in the telephone booth. As usual we used to line up in the telephone booth and the only thing we were confirming was that our parents and family members are safe and not among the people who are killed or hurt.

Yesterday, there was a twin blast in Nagamapal which killed nine people and hurt 13 more but I did not call home immediately. I pick up my mobile then drop it again without a reason. In the night called mom, asked where has father gone and got hyper unnecessarily saying why he has not come home till 9 pm when the situations are so bad. Mom trying to calm me down saying nothing happens here. Its too far, bomb was blast was in Imphal. While having dinner, brother said, there are two bomb blast in Imphal, I just replied to him without answering to his answer-do you still want to go home? He was arguing with me since March after parents left Delhi to visit home. I know it will sound weird when I do not want my brother to go home but may be I'm too scared with my own thought of what if something happens to them. I would go crazy and will try my best effort to stop them whenever they asked about going home. I kept saying things may get better in next year so you go home at that time, sometime I said, you can go home with me when I plan next time.

Things are worst in my place because of its being one of the most favorable place for transit to every neighboring place. Most of the news of army's operation at night due to troubling neighbor's association with insurgents, brother being questioned by the commandos are just a hearsay information to me so far. But it did really happened when I was in Delhi, except that parents have preferred to hide it from me. When my uncle was alive things were better because of his earlier association with BSF but after his death, things got worst. My useless neighbor's free lunch dream and rumors of their association with the insurgents are really giving us a bad time for the last few years.

Just a month away for the home journey. Excited of the fact that I have not gone home for the last two years but so many things are there to worry also. What if there is a general strike, what if there is another gun fight or bomb blast or another national highway blocked. In all the situations we will be like a house arrested criminal without an option to step out of the home for a week and will re-pack the bag and struggle to catch the flight by taking a route where there is no sign of protest. Hope we have a pleasant journey to home this time.

Whatever it is, home is always home. Till the last breath, we will always love it and we can't even die peacefully without worrying about our home. 

Death sentence-an end to rape?

Even the death sentence seems to be not a justice to for the heinous crime of rape. But is the real solution to deter the rape in the rape city and of course the rape continent. Recently a survey indicated that 1 out of the 10 men in Asia confessed that they have raped a women. Reason being for entertainment, boredom, to show their muscularity or so on. 

The whole mass is rejoicing with the death sentence of the four accused and deep down the line I could not stop crushing this society for which even these rapist are victims. On the one side for the rape and torture they have done to the girl, I have to pity for them even if they are burnt. But don't really need to sit down and think what make them inhuman, not even an animal. While reading the statement of the judge saying that rod has been inserted to her body, her abdomen has been destroyed and her body part has been pulled out, I could not stop my tears. I just take a deep breath, trying to control from crying and said who make these monsters? I do not really know whether they could still be judged, rectified or talked in the human language. Not even an animal would do to another animal just like they did to the girl. Quite upset for the whole day thinking what would have gone through to the parents and brothers standing in the court watching them and hearing again and again that how much they torture their daughter and sister. She has left for a better place but her family will live with such a miserable pain throughout their life. 

She was still too young and has not lived her life and I really wish she got little more time to enjoy this beautiful life which is given only once. When I lost my cousin when he was just 24 years in an accident, I kept asking why so soon and keep blaming the faith but at least in years I'm able to reconcile thinking it's just the way we live. But when someone like Nirbhaya has been killed so unnaturally, it's unforgivable for all the rapist and this society should also own the responsibility because we are also played making the monsters in our society.    

Instead of just rejoicing with the death penalty, would it be better every parents start teaching their sons to respect the women and let them enjoy their life instead of encouraging their useless man-ego. Saying that oh you are a boy or man, you can do anything. Still this death sentence is not going to deter the crime against the women, in some years it will become like another dowry law. Till now we have so many legitimized laws under which rape is not taken as a crime. All the political parties came under one umbrella while rejecting the Justice Verma commission which includes the marital rape and bringing the armed forces to try by ordinary court while committing a crime at the personal level such as rape. So there are thousand questions every women like me would ask that would rape would be allowed if it is by husband or by the armed forces.

 Until and unless when rape as a concept of man flexing their muscle power against the women and their mindset of  thinking that women can be tortured this way, it can not be eradicated. Above all these, the male chauvinist pigs who gives speeches in the form of politician, bureaucrats and leaders should stop blaming like why women are walking in the road in the night, why did they wear that kind of clothes and she is of that type of character. For instance, prostitutes sale their body for survival but even they are not allowed to rape if they don't give a consent to it. So what is the need would be not eating gulab jamum in the death sentence  of the rapist bt rectifying your own kid so that they don't become another rapist and another women. It was surprising when RSS leader addressed the mass that it was the fault of the girl why she was out of the home in the late hour? To add to this many politicians rather blame on the girl who are raped,. Same comment has been passed by our own Delhi CM Sheila Dixit, commenting on the 2005 rape case of the Mizoram girl in the Dhaula Kaun. 

What India needs to change is to come out of highly morale society where they are making human bomb who can explode any time once they are out of the home.The morale, respect and their humanity ends they step out of their home. Their respect to elders, women and other male counterparts is for show off only. What is the point when you shout from the roof top that we are highly cultural society when you can't even teach your sons to respect women, at the same time when you always ask your daughters to compromise their freedom, respect and dignity for the sake of your meaningless dignity and culture. May be India just have to come out beyond this image of being the sacrosanct country while still rated as the rape country. Better is to understand the changing society, mindset of younger and give them the space to breath and live beyond the suffocating cultural factory of rapist and murderers. 

Just like a long lost lover!

Somehow in my words, in my deeds and in my talks you have become a reason to laugh and bring a smile for the past few months. And finally I'm feeling sad of the fact that everything will go away with time. The time will swallow every remnants of the memory. Of your smile, of your laughter and I do not know I'm trying to gather everything and bind them so hard that it never left my memories. Nothing have been told between us except through the eyes and the smiles across the crowd. I know you do not think anything serious about any kind of emotional involvement neither do I but every part of the memory was a reason to smile and laugh for me. That's only reason I was left at that time. I know we stand poles apart and there could never be a meeting point. I never thought of losing of a such a moment, everyone seems to be moved on including you, except me, seems to be still standing there and waiting for you all alone.

 How would I even tell you that I even had the most painful wait of this lifetime, without even having the courage to tell that for hours I waited across the road where I used to wait for you. Every weekend just passed by mercilessly and I thought at least in a faithful Saturday you would suddenly cross my way and pass a smile just like earlier. With a hopeless thought I search for you in the crowd with series of cup of tea and used to spend hours. What I miss the most is the way we hide our smiles and you obviously know the reason why I ask you so many questions sometime and why I even get so annoyed when someone else try to get your attention. May be it was for the first time for me, I saw somebody with such a true emotions in the eyes.
Somehow I felt that at least you have the respect for what I'm, you do not deny the way I used to adore you without a spotless mind. At least you don't insult me with a response that how could you do that being a girl?I felt that every moment was a miracle when you come in front of me, as if something is going to change forever and nothing bad could happen to me again when I'm with you. I'm still trying to paint every enduring moments of those few months. I wish it was just longer than this life and we tend to forget the beginning and the end. Or does it become so nostalgic and unforgettable because it was for a little time and we have to walked our way apart just as it is decided.

 I'm sad for the fact that everyone said, it was just a fun part and you have to move on! Why I have to move on, when there is an undying smile which keeps me alive, which dazzles like raindrops reviving my soul. In another thought, it just looks like my own imagination and nothing was there to be serious. I hate the hypocrisy of this world when I'm not even allowed to even say what I feel for you but they will sleep at the end of the day with a stranger in the name of marriage.

Somehow it seems like I also have to go with the flow of the time till the memory lapse without living a space to remember you and your smiles. But I will never let you die and will paint every memory we had in those beautiful days in every pieces of my pages. That will be a true ode to you and my love for you. Last and for all I have never hesitated in saying what I felt till today but your bastardy society is so dirty that there is no space for such love. Let it have the most peaceful death!

Sleepless in Delhi :)

Mom correctly say that do not ever make fun of someone's misery, it falls on you so quickly in the Kali youge. I was talking with a friend about a frantic call from a college time friend about asking some urgent money requirement. I was just confirming whether she is still honest as I'm afraid of her liability. First of all, she lied in the first word of call. My friend told me, don't try to argue with her, she is facing lots of problem and even having sleeping problem so eating pills. I just said, oh poor girl, she really messed up everything as usual!

I came back home so tired and hectic schedule in office, then routine work in home and trying to sleep by 1.00 am, my usual timing. Suddenly I felt so awkward, uneasy and it was like those horrible days where I used to spent the whole night writing poetry, watching movie and sometime walking alone in the terrace without even talking to anyone. That feelings of emptiness seems to encroach my space of comfort life after years. Bad days, bad people! But I'm hardly affected with any of his news nowadays and I don't even bother he is dead or even become a prime minister. I try to sleep by reading some boring chapters, even trying to write the worst things in the world but quarter to 3 am I could not resist myself from crying while watching the movie Sleepless in Seattle and my favorite Tom Hank. I felt more horrible because I don't know why I was crying. I repeatedly thinking what happened to me and was there anything to worry? I even asked myself the most weird question? Am I in love with the charming guy in my mind? Then again I rejected the question, nope! Love never comes beyond Sharukh Khan's screen in their world, so cut the big crap!

It become more weird when I only remember so many wonderful things happened in this month. My wishes to walk in the Vizag beach, roaming with best buddy in Hydrabad, and so many good news about Tattooed with Taboos, everything was so fulfilling. Then I gave the liberty to my tears, let it fall until it gets tired and dry. After a soulful cry I felt so content and it was like falling in love again. I wish I can dedicate the wonderful tears to someone I do really love. Alas! No one was there in mind for whom I can cry for.

With a smile and love in mind about a dazzling smile, I fell asleep, just to open my eyes again before 7 am in the morning. And I thought why not have a sleepless night in Delhi, if it can happen in Seattle. Got into the kitchen, make breakfast and get ready for office only to surprise everyone "how come Chaoba, you came so early?" . But who knows that I was enjoying the Sleepless in Seattle in real life :)

Silencing those voices!

Finally I'm hatting the social networking especially Facebook. Bunch of crook people ready to judge if we talk of the topics out of the box. Only reason why I'm still engaged in Facebook is that it gives me a boost to write, think and sometime feel encouraged with some friends honest opinion. If you talk about politics, about love, about relation, about feminism and gender conflict then you are gone. That's happening with me.

I love thinking about what should I write, even a simple conversation with a friend, I try to make it in a nice line and make it poetic. That's how I try to improve my writing and command in the language. Above all, I do not care what people are tagging me with any name. Let it be. But it does surprised me with their questions. After all I'm not writing to become answerable to anyone of them. I know even among the friends they find me weird because I talk about politics, parties, gender and my conflict situation with the religious and God-loving people. They said why do you bother? This annoyed with more than anything. What we should be talking all the time. About the boyfriends, how nice it was his new haircut, how sexy he looks like, all the time and 24 x 7. Forgive me I could never do that. I can not be in a conversation of men, marriage, kid and shopping not more than an hour. I do have my limits. After all I'm never impressed by kind of  men whose attitude and personality are only identifiable by their branded clothes and socially and politically looks totally dumb and stupid. So as I can not tolerate a man who talks all the time about zero size woman and their horny dreams.

There are so many topics we can engage and have fun while talking and all of them are relevant to our day to day life. It's our negligence to talk, discuss and analyse the things around and just following what others are doing, later on we can not blame when it becomes a culture and burden to us. And we can't blame men for not understanding. If you are not interested in talking about the things related to your life who will take charge and discuss about it. Here comes the major reason of lack of participation of women and those who stood up become a victim of the mass including of their female counterparts.

We have many examples whose voices are silence in many ways by threat, by killing, by eliminating them from their way and that's reason we still stand in a place where everything looks motionless for women, having no option but following to the already set laws/norms/culture.

Why we still feel that making law, bringing the change, voicing against the wrong doers is only a men's job and we have no part to play in it other than talking about what should we cook in the dinner, what colour of bed sheet/curtain will be suitable to my bedroom, how can I impress my boyfriend/husband, what dress he will like? It's quite pity so far, so many educated women can not engage their conversation beyond this topic. Those who does the talk are ostracized and treated as a alien.

Why don't we admire Arundhati Roy, Medha Patkar, Banerjee Bhuto, Kiran Bedi, Taslima Nasreen, Mahasweta Devi and so many of them who change the niche of woman from kitchen to politics and society at large. Do we still have to follow what our mothers have done, taking care of our father and washing their family clothes and at the end of the day living in their mercy. I'm not being pessimistic about family life. No one can better understand a family life than me and I don not need a lesson to it. I know how it is like adopting and taking care of two teenage brothers in Delhi. Everything is possible, even managing them and living a life of my own, having a career, social life, talking about politics and so many things. But simply denying to talk and even discuss of the raising issues around us will be a foolish step for all of us and we are already bearing the consequences of the man-made laws, rules and culture.

It was just few years back, the school going girls are forced to wear sarongs, then asking us not to wear jeans, in future they can ask us  to wear a veil and we should not be surprised if we ignore to talk, discuss and bring it a negotiable table where we can also talk about what a woman want from their life apart from obliging to the set rules of patriarchal organisations in our society.