The Dinner

The corner table beside the aquarium had been booked for four by a Mr.Sharma. Must be a family outing.

This, a family restaurant in central Kolkata, had always been my dream. I had sacrificed many things to attain this.

 Love among others. Saurav and I had wanted different things from life. 

He wanted marriage while I wanted to become a chef. I had gone off to culinary school. 

He had married someone hastily to punish me.

Very soon, Mr. Saurav Sharma and his wife walked in accompanied by their twins. 

He looked careworn. Clearly, not the man I had loved.

Word Count: 100

This post is part of Friday Foto Fiction being hosted by Tina and Mayuri 

To the Love of My Life

Dear V,

The first question you asked me when we met was whether I was writing the PWD exams. I was totally unaware that such an exam was around the corner, nor was I interested. You also asked whether I planned to do M.tech, and obviously, I had no such plans. God only knows how I managed to pass B.tech with decent marks. I had dismissed you as one of those nerds who had come to waste my time. However, you turned out to be different.

Before I knew, we were engaged to be married and you were making me laugh with your insane jokes and hour-long phone calls. Your called me morning, evening and night. You said you were determined to know the person I was before we tied the knot. I took time to open up. You were an open book. You were mostly vegetarian and I loved non-vegetarian. I was a bibliophile and you read only Osho, IS codes or Civil Engineering handbooks. We were different like chalk and cheese.

By the time we got married, I knew I could trust you. Yet I was scared. You knew for a girl, it was such a huge step. She had to leave behind the comfort of her home and create a new home for herself in a stranger's home. So, you stood by me, became the ice-breaker to make your family warm up to me. Soon, your home became my home. You weaseled into my heart and cemented a permanent place there. 

We moved to Dubai to further our careers. With your experience, you made my job easier. As we worked on the same project, you were always there to guide me. The days were hectic, sometimes we met each other only on the road. I would be returning from my day job and you walking to your work site for your night shift. Yet, we became best buddies. We mostly bonded over food and you walked around our area to find libraries where I could indulge in my first love: reading. 

The only things that we had in common were our laziness and gluttony. Yet we managed to make even those vices into virtues.

We hunted down the best restaurants to experiment with food. Then we would walk home determined to lose the calories gained, talking about everything under the sun.

When it came to laziness, we struggled to understand who excelled in that area. We fought over whose turn it was to switch off lights, to put the clothes on the clothesline or take out the trash.

Now our dilemma has ended. We have our junior who has acquired both our lazy genes and beats us hands down at being the laziest in the house. 

Over the years, we have been through difficulties. We both lost loved ones. You lost your mother, and I lost my father. I have realized that whatever happens, I can always trust that you will be there to support me. You were the one who pushed me to start writing. And it has become my passion, my happiness. You surprise me with gifts and tolerate my tantrums when I am in one of my moods. 

I know you don't like public displays of affection, but hey this blog is my oasis. This is my private haven where I jot down my thoughts and you deserve a pride of place right here on my blog.

Therefore, in this month of love, all I want from you is a promise that you will never change. 

Be the same witty, kind, and handsome person I fell in love with.

Love,

Preethi

P.S : (Thanks in advance for that gift you have planned to buy for me ;) )

Linking this post with #MondayMommyMoments being hosted by Amrita and Deepa.

The prompt this week was to write a letter to the love of your life.

Why do I Write Love Stories?

When my debut novel was released, I shared the purchase link with my friends in the hope that they would encourage this leap of faith I had taken.

“You and love story? How can you write about something that you know nothing about?” asked one of my friends.

Though taken aback by the arrogance lingering in the question, I asked how she was sure I knew nothing about love.

“You never had an affair in college and you had a proper arranged marriage. What do you know about love?”

Yes! What do I know about love? How could someone who had always been a wallflower, someone who was never called a beauty, someone who hadn't canoodled with lovers in the darkness of movie theaters, write about love? According to people like her, love was something that was reserved for people who were smart, handsome/beautiful and had the guts to go against the society.

But being a wallflower came with its own perks. You went through heartaches and disappointments more frequently than normal. Your crush would never ever look at you. Even if he did, someone would dissuade him saying, “Are you crazy? What did you find in her?” Your Mr. Darcy would look down upon you and ignore you royally. And if you were unlucky enough, he might even end up flirting with your best friend. Yet, I had allowed myself to experience the psychedelic effects of a heady crush and enjoyed it while it lasted.

Though I didn’t live a heroic love story, love did find me eventually. Love came softly to me. I fell in love with the man I married. Truly, madly and deeply. It came with its own share of highs and lows but is progressing steadily from strength to strength.

In addition, I was always surrounded by love stories. My parents had a love marriage, some of my friends and cousins too fell in love before becoming hitched. I was lucky enough to be their confidante, and they were eloquent when it came to talking about their escapades.

What she also didn’t know was that writers were scavengers. The way people dig for treasure, we dig for stories. We eavesdrop, we listen carefully when you talk and we observe.

So when I write my stories, I draw in from the energies hidden in the stories I have heard. I recollect their happiness, their dilemmas, their worries, and the general air of drama that surround such stories. Also, when you write their stories down, some get their happily-ever-after which never happened in real life. For some, frozen in time, their story never loses its charm. No one ever kills 'love' for them.

I will hence always remain in love with love. I will continue hunting for stories, which I will pen down with euphoria. They would work like a drug, releasing a plethora of endorphins making me feel like I am in love again. With every story, I get to live another love story. And when readers tell me, I have written their love story, I smile. Love is so universal and easy to fall in love with.

The Kiss of Death

Image source: Magpie Tales

I see them every day;

the two star-crossed lovers.

Clinging to each other, 

they fear, it is the last time they will meet.

Sunsets tell them, they need to part ways;

There is a fault in their stars. 

Sunrises bring out the rebel in them,

He sneaks out in disguises and seeks her out.

They linger in the shadows, making promises,

Parting with lingering kisses.

She was the lotus and he the bee;

Today, they lingered long

Not heeding the bugles of time,

Her lush petals became his cherished grave.

I saw them then, the lotus and the bee,

One last time, she embraced him,

One last time he kissed her,

The agonizingly sweet kiss of death

And united forever they were, in the cradle of death.

The wind roared, the river wept,
The earth sighed.
I, the lonely sun, asked them to stop mourning.
Another young bee will soon find another lotus bud.
It will sing until the lotus bloomed.
In their love, the star-crossed lovers will live again,
As they say, true love never dies, 
It is okay to love,
It's still okay!

Linking this with Magpie Tales 

Linking this with Indispire

What makes a house a home?

A home filled with love

Home is the place, which has love oozing out of every atom of it. Every brick has been laid with love and every furniture selected with care. The house becomes a living entity when a family moves in. An unused corner suddenly becomes the play area of a kid, the kitchen starts to smell heavenly and the rooms begin to record memories of togetherness, of love, of happiness.

For the first twenty-five years of my life, my home was the place where I was born. It held memories of a little girl, pampered a lot by her father and one, who ruled over the entire house with her own set of rules. I had absolute freedom in what I wanted to do. I could ignore cleaning my room and eventually my mother or some other person would clean it. Nobody questioned my freedom and there was no need to prove myself before anyone. My mother taught me the nuances of housekeeping and cooking. I did them only when I felt like helping her or when I wanted to try something new. We had a maid and so I could laze around the whole day doing absolutely nothing other than eating or reading books.

Things changed when I got married. At my husband’s house, everything was different. Like all new brides, I had no clue how to go about my day. While we used to sleep at my house at around midnight and get up late in the morning, at my husband’s house ‘early to bed and early to rise’ was the norm. I had to get up before the sun rose and had to help my mother-in-law in the household work. I had to fight with myself to adjust. It was very hard for me to undergo the change. But my husband helped me at every turn and encouraged me. Within a month, I adapted to the new routine and my parents were delighted at my change.

Then came another twist in the tale. My husband joined for work in the UAE and we set up a home together for the first time. This time the change was harder. I was completely in charge of my home. I didn’t have a mother-in-law or mother to advise me as to what I had to do to maintain my home. Telephone calls were expensive and hence I depended on my kind neighbours for guidance. I too joined work but miraculously I managed household and work without any issues.

Change again came with the birth of my son. We shifted to Bangalore when he was just a year old. This time, I had a toddler, a very active one at that, to manage and my household duties as well. My son gave me sleepless nights, loads of dirty clothes and a chaotic house. I was still happy and content. Every day brought new cheers. Every moment was a revelation. My new home became my entire world and this home bonded the three of us together. A house again became a home, where love and happiness was cherished like fresh air.

When love exists, every change is a happy twist in the tale. 

This post has been written for #lookup campaign by https://housing.com/lookup.

A thousand Love Letters

Dearest  Dhruv,

Your skylark is singing again, to brave the darkest hour, hoping to lure her dawn with the saddest song. The darkest hour of the night is just before the dawn, so say the wise men of yore. You are my dawn that is eluding my every attempt at reconciliation.  Didn’t you promise me everything and the moon? Have you forgotten the vows we made?

Years ago, when we promised to be together until death do us apart, I didn’t think that there would come a day when you would begin to hate me to the extent that you would storm out of a room if anyone mentioned my name.

But whatever happens, I can’t seem to hate you. I know about the hatred you have piled in that corner of your heart where once I had my own safe haven. I know you don’t trust me anymore. You wouldn’t believe that I never cheated you, that it was a carefully plotted trap that Priya had woven to tear us apart. I have all the proof but you didn’t even give me a chance to explain.

Hadn’t we set a rule that whatever happens we would hear the other person out before deciding anything? But you broke that rule. You left me in tears while I tried to explain that your mother never liked me and had played her part perfectly in the play enacted by Priya and her team. You never realized that Aryan is Priya’s closest friend, I don’t even know him. All his claims that we were anything else is false, but you didn’t stop to listen. You had seen him in our bedroom, but did you know that Priya too was there then, hiding in the wardrobe waiting for Aryan to enact his role?Would you believe that I was trying to save myself from being raped when you arrived?Can’t you think that I would never let a stranger in unless they are accompanied by a friend? Your mother was with me throughout but she sneaked out before you arrived. 

But you would not believe me. Sadly, you believed everything that your mother and Priya told you.

I had thought I had learnt to fill the void you had left with mindless hours of work. But I am wrong. I wander in the rooms of the home we built at night, looking for signs of your presence. That lone T-shirt that you left in the cupboard often gets wet with my tears; I wear your cologne to breathe in your presence.

I promised my parents that I would move on, undoubtedly, you had moved on, they said. But why then do I feel assured that you would return before long, bringing with you the dawn that I await?

I feel forlorn now that you are continents away; the pit of dread in my stomach is becoming unbearable by the second. A nagging little voice in the back of my head tells me that your heartstrings have stopped singing my name, the ravages of time and the flight of memory has torn down the resistance of that stubborn sinew. I don’t want to hear that, I refuse to believe.

If it is the truth, just tell me so. I will not write another word to you. This is my thousandth mail- I wrote one to you every day.  I am writing this in the darkest hour of my life. I loathe this teary existence; I grieve your loss, my lost innocence. I can never be the same again without you. Your absence has tainted my blood with the poison of your love. Every sunset reminds me that I have lost yet another day of hope. 

The lantern of expectation is now beginning to smoke dark fumes of despair. The fire of love that kindled it is long exhausted; my wet eyes crave now for the light of the dawn.

Come my darling, my dawn; do not tell me it is too late. Do not tell me that the embers of hope have frozen forever.

Only yours,

Neha

For a new beginning!

Shraddha was giving final changes to the commissioned painting of a couple kissing in moonlight. The person who had ordered the painting wanted to gift it to his fiancée on her birthday, which was just a day away. The client would arrive in the evening to collect the painting.

The kissing couple on her canvas was reminiscent of the passion that was once part of her own life. Ravi and Shraddha were busy building their careers. Both of them hardly saw each other and even slept in separate bedrooms as their schedules clashed with each other.

Ravi was often away on business tours and Shraddha would spend hours in her home studio bringing images to life on her canvas with lines and colors, working late into the night. The color from their life had drained off unnoticed with the vagaries of life. When they met, at least one of them would be exhausted by the activities of a busy day. With a peck on the cheek, which had become the only physical contact between them, both would allow the other person to rest.

Logging in to her email to send the confirmation mail to the client, a mail from Ravi caught her attention. It was unusual. He rarely mailed her. When she opened it, the mail contained only a link to a video on YouTube. It was the link to the #BringBackTheTouch TV commercial of Parachute Advanced Body lotion. 

By the time she finished watching the TVC, her cheeks had become wet with tears. Ravi had indirectly told her what was missing from their lives - the magic of touch! It was time to re-ignite the lost spark of passion.

That day when Ravi entered their house, the whole house was sparkling in the light of a thousand candles. With a heart that pulsed with delight, Ravi looked around for Shraddha. She was nowhere around. A note on the dining table invited him to a magical evening with his ‘little minx’, the name he had given to Shraddha during their courtship period. Ravi’s face lit up with a huge smile.

Shraddha entered the dining room then carrying a heart shaped chocolate cake, with ‘For a new beginning’ written on it with icing. Dressed in a red sari that clung to her curves, she was as beautiful as ever. Ravi yearned to gather her into his arms.  He waited until they cut the cake together and fed each other, before doing just that.

“I feared I had lost you forever, darling!” whispered Ravi.

“ Sorry, Ravi. Forgive me for being so selfish. Forgive me for forgetting the vows we had made to each other. And thank you for making me realize what was missing from our lives,” said Shraddha, caressing his cheeks.

When Ravi cupped her face and captured her lips in a passionate kiss, it marked the beginning of the magic of touch re-entering their lives. 

This post has been written as a part of Indi-Happy hours  on Indiblogger in association with Parachute http://www.pblskin.com/ # BringBackTheTouch

A Romantic painting to begin the month of Love

An Acrylic painting : Love in Moonlight ( 16 X 20 Inches)

This painting was inspired by the poem, 'The highwayman' by Alfred Noyes.

Especially the lines:

"Watch for me by moonlight,

I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."

Wishing everyone a Happy Month of Love!! :)

You and I

My art




When I am with you,
I am a splendid soul,
All the vile thoughts,
All things dull,
Just cease to exist.

You are my devoir,
Your arms my sanctum,
Your eyes my mirror,
The warmth of your hug my favored wrap.

My heart beats echoing your amour,
My blood gushes in rapture,
My lips are tinted by your ardor,
My skin blooms in your fervor.

You wonder why we forget,
The entire world throughout.
Our ornery paths converge,
Our thirsty souls forever merge.

You and I, we contrived this world,
This cozy microcosm of ours.
You and I,  we will enshrine our love,
Just here beneath the stars;

The waves and the golden sand,
the silent deponents...


-Preethi Venugopal

How to Let Go of the Past

One of the toughest phases in life is when you are trying to get over a relationship. It is hard to forget that one person who had meant the world to you. Letting go of the continuous thoughts about them and those precious memories can be torturous. At one or other time, we have all gone through this phase. 

But in order to survive, we need to let go. We need to release the sadness, the loneliness and the haunting memories.

Why is it so important to let go?

When we hold on to the past, we do not grow out of it. We continue to remain in our past and the present and future slips unnoticed through our hands. This quote explains this better.

“The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.” 

― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

There are many methods to let go; I am writing about a few, which I have known to be helpful. These methods are efficient in letting go anything you associate with a person or an event. Be it anger, frustration, bitterness or stress.

The Methods:

1) Write about it:

Take out a notebook, write about the person or experience you wish to let go. You can write it in the form of a letter if you wish to.

Write your heart out; express your feelings without bothering about grammar, proper language or order. Write whatever is coming to your mind when you think about it. Continue writing; Tears may flow, you may start to feel overwhelmed but continue with your writing.

 Once you have put everything you feel on paper, read it again. This time you will again drown in the same emotions. Once you finish reading, tear out the pages and burn. Affirm to yourself that the flames are taking away all your worries and thank them for the courage it is giving you.

 Repeat this until you are feeling less and less in the trap of your memories. You can do this once a week or once a month, as you feel necessary. 

This is the easiest method.

2) Treat it as a lesson you had to learn:

Everything that happens in our life happens for a reason. Every person comes into our life with a lesson. Identify the lesson this person or event gave you. 

Often when we understand what we learnt from the experience, there is a sense of closure. May be that person had taught you to love and to be loved, may be he/she had made you start loving yourself, maybe she/ he was the one who gave you that push in the right direction. He/she may have been your light. 

Remember what the experience taught you and let go of it, as you have done with many other lessons you have learned in the past.

3) Remember to remember:

When we are in a relationship, which is the best part of our lives, we have it etched as a part of our emotional system. If it suddenly ends, we cannot let go because this person was part of our best memories.

We all know, human beings are not perfect. There is bound to be bad memories about the same person as well. Remember to remember those bad moments. When a bit of negative thoughts come in about the person, you will find it easier to forget.

Most of the time, when we remember a person we love, we just remember the good times and conveniently forget the bad times. Nothing is perfect, ever… Try asking friends/ relatives for help. You may not remember. But they might.

4) Empty the cache of memories one by one:

If you are grieving over a person who left you for another, it is time to empty the bin of all his/her memories. Delete phone numbers and photos from your phone or computer. Throw away any other memorabilia. Do it with the intention of letting go. Do it one at a time.

You will realize you are better off without this extra load of memories.

Let go of them. If you want to fill your glass, first it has to be empty. Empty your life of past memories so you can start creating new ones.

5)Stop following them or stalking them on social networks.

In this highly connected world, technology often makes it hard to forget. Memories comes haunting when you are bombarded by old photos, messages or even their latest photo update which proclaim they don't have a place for you in their life anymore.

Unfollow them on the networking sites; block them. You can't think of forgetting someone by keeping on looking at their photos, their updates or tweets.

Stop yourself every time you feel the need to visit his/her profile; even anonymously. Stalking never brought back anyone their ex-boyfriend / girl friend.

Go on a technology fast when you feel overwhelmed by the memories. Switch off your phone and disconnect the internet.

6) Enjoy being single:

Go out and do things you like to do, now that you are single.

Watch funny movies, catch up with friends, listen to peppy songs, and visit that art gallery you were wishing to go. Do whatever you feel like. Visualize the happy single you, instead of visualizing the sad lonely you.

Laugh. Learn new things to do; craft, art or baking. Anything, to keep you busy…

Fall in love again, this time with yourself.

 Fall in love with life.

Dreams...

" Expectations" A digital drawing I did with photoshop 

A small poem I wrote ...

I have this thing with dreams,

I simply don't know why...

All night I toss about in my dreams...

And watch myself cry...

What is it with dreams?

Lost is my love and so are you. 

All day I think about those dreams,

the ones in which I beheld you.

Some say one dies a bit with every sad dream,

I don't know then how I am still alive.

Dreams are all but dreams,

but they make me come alive.

Will I see you only in my dreams?

Will you stay with me this time?

Ah my love, promise me this time, at least in dreams,

Promise me you will stay this time.

*................................*

Why do we drift apart ?

Why do we drift apart in relationships ?

Radha Krishna : The eternal lovers

Why do couples who were once head over heals in love with each other start to drift apart after a few years of being together?
 There are many reasons and they might vary from couple to couple.
If you think about the major ones, they are:

1).Indifference and neglect

“Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike.” 

― J.K. Rowling

How correctly J.K Rowling has stated two of the main reasons behind many failed relationships. After being together for years, couples start to take each other for granted. Indifference creeps into their relationship and they begin to neglect each other. Not because they dislike each other, but because they are flowing together like leaves floating along in the same river, no more attached to the same tree.

Solution: Try not to neglect each other. Take a genuine interest in each other. He/she was the person whom you thought the world about when you were in love.

2). Communication gap

Couples these days have no time for each other caught up in their individual careers and lives.There is a huge communication gap.
One expects the other to understand his/her situation because he/she is his/her, spouse/lover.
Unfortunately, till this moment human beings do not have the ability to communicate via thoughts or through telepathy.

Solution: You have to talk.
When you  talk, please do not nag. Telling things more than once, usually do more damage than good.

3). Past Grudges not forgiven

Try not to bring out his/her past mistakes when you start to argue. Such arguments often tend to escalate beyond your control. When you mention a past mistake you actually hurt yourself again because you start to experience the same emotions which had been created then by that old hurt. Forgive any small mistakes that had happened. She/He had done it because of his/her circumstances then.

Solution:
Try to forgive and forget. More than him/her, you will be doing yourself a favour. We human beings are not perfect. We do ourselves more harm when we keep our anger suppressed. 

 "Holding a grudge is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die"

                                          -Budha

4. Too much Criticism

Things which attracted you when you were in love now may irritate you and you might start criticising him/her.

The person remains the same but your perspective has changed. You loved her bubbly talks when you were in love, but now you criticise her for being a chatterbox.

Solution: Stop criticising, Start Loving...

Every person likes to be appreciated. If you don't find anything to appreciate just keep quiet. Too much criticism is bound to make your relationship go sour.

5.Forgetting the use of the magic words,"Thank You" & "Sorry": 
When you are in public you are the most graceful person on earth. You tell "Thank you" to the security guard who opened the supermarket door for you. You say "sorry" when you accidently bump onto a person on the pavement. But do we remember to say "Thank you" to our spouses for their tiny acts of kindness?
Do we openly ask for forgiveness if we make a mistake?
Instead, we take their kindness for granted and try to justify our mistakes.

Solution:

Practice gratitude. Remember little acts of kindness daily and be grateful for it. Maintain a gratitude journal. Try to be kind yourself.
Practice to apologise.

“An apology is the superglue of life. It can repair just about anything.”
― Lynn Johnston


So let us start appreciating, loving and living. Let us bring more magic into our lives by using the magic words "Thank You" and "Sorry."

God Bless You All.... Have a great day!

True love?!!!

Does it exist?  A Love that Shines.......????

(This is one of my recent pencil portraits which I have come to love.

You can see this on my facebook art page www.facebook.com/preethisart )


Love is something that gives meaning to life. Everything around you just disappears and you see only the person you love.

You laugh,You drown in happy tears and hours seems like seconds when your love is around.


Love is the only thing that matters...


But does it really exist ?


Or does it exist now only in romance movies and books?


Not so sure...


But it sure is magical....