Santa Claus Wishing Merry Christmas In My Office

23/December/2014

"Hello sir.".

"Yes?"

"Sir, we were planning for the Christmas celebrations in office and had a discussion on who fits into the santa's role. You name came into the list. "

"Ok...".

"So, would you do it?"

"Yeah sure".

"Great, thank you sir. I would call you tomorrow morning. We have the Santa dress with us and rest we would explain you tomorrow."

As the call disconnected, I got a chat message from same person. 

"Also, please don't tell this to anyone as there is a guess the Santa contest as-well. Thanks😊"

24/Dec/2014

While changing into the traditional red and white dress, I had no idea what was in store for me. I was the Santa - Dear Santa for 1200 odd staff in my office. The mask made sure no one would be able to recognise me. I was handed a small bag full of candies. The cultural committee explained me what all I had to do and I stepped on top floor of building. 

As explained, the guy with speakers playing Christmas carol in hands entered the premises first and gathered the attention of busy hard working staff. It was my turn next. I marched ahead - "Ho Ho Ho. Merry Christmas dear, merry Christmas my child". I shouted in top My voice and hugged the first guy in bay who refused to give up his work for celebrations. He was suddenly smiling and locked his machine instantly. I distributed some candies on the floor, gave several hugs and shake hands. I left with the Santa team - my team after some games.

As we entered the next floor- 6th floor, I again gave the first hug to most serious looking person and distributed candies. Two people made me wear the garland of paper pins as the part of game. Winners of each game were given chocolates.

We repeated the same things on all ten floors and I was exhausted.H

At the end of 2 hours, this is what I lost as I became the Santa - 

1. I was left breathing for air and removed the mask in between when no one could see me.

2. I had the maximum pictures clicked and still no one could say that it was me,

3. My manager gave a tilted eye to me for leaving my workstation for 3 hours.

I could not believe, but the things I gained as Santa were far more satisfying and overcome all loss as I stepped into santa's  shoes - 

1. I was the start of day. Everyone wanted to click pictures with me.

2. I made people smile as I distributed hugs and candies.

3. I realised what task it is for Santa (if he truly exists) to spread happiness around the world and give gifts to children- that too as per their wishes.

4. I was smiling to myself at the night time.

~From the heart of guy who took the role of Santa on 24th December in my office.

Thank You Santa

This post is written for the prompt - When I stepped into Santa's shoes in Facebook page - Wings Of Change.

The Long Corridor

This short fiction is written for the prompt - the long corridor on Wings Of Change.

Her eyes were sore this morning. He stood awake with her. Moon completed the bug round circle over their roof. Whole night had passed without a spiked word. They left the house with same anxiety. Anxiety mixed with fear that arrived unwelcome to their lives 5 year back.

***

She ran and picked the receiver. It fell down as fast as it went to her ears. She hated phone calls since that day. The loud rush and cries in the hospital ward could not reach her. She never felt scared when he held her hands. But that day, she felt all alone wrapped in his arms. The doctors came and said sorry. They did not believe. They were so sure that the angel of their life would open its eyes as soon as they pick him up. They held him tight. She kissed him a thousand times. He promised the battery bike right in next hour. All in false hopes. He did not move. That was the day she went passed that corridor along with the stretcher.

***

Today, she was again asked to wait inside a corridor. She dreaded them. They made her remember the same 15 steps journey. Her life suddenly came alive. Only first half Of the four letter word could reach her. She ran again twice as fast as that day. The long corridor was crossed in seconds. "Masi...", the voice echoed. The little princes wipe her tears. He confirmed the lady standing at Other end and he nodded yes. He gestured a sincere thanks to her. That was the last time she was scared of long corridors.

***

The lady who brightened their life now stood lost in same corridor. She was smiling to herself. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Her were eyes were red and mist. Yet she was smiling. She held those papers tight in her hands. The paper which read "Cancer". "Some more days, and my soul would then love this place forever. My princess has found her new Ma.". She repeated the same lines everyday. They said that long corridor was haunted. Haunted or life. Haunted for good. No life ever left the body when passing through that wing - that long corridor.

REAL SOLDIER; REAL MAN

SLEEPY EYES, LAZY LEGS

DROOPY HANDS, SPARKLING SMILE

ALL BECAME ACTIVE AT ONCE.

THERE SHE WAS,

ARRANGED THE BOOKS,

RECHECKED THE NOTEBOOKS,

SHARPENED THE PENCIL,

RESTED THAT BAG ON HER SHOULDERS.

THE BAG WHICH HER FATHER SAID

WOULD HELP HER BECOME STRONGER

THE BAG HER MOTHER SAID

WOULD TEACH HER FIGHT EVIL

THE BAG HER GRANNY SAID

WOULD SHOW HER LIGHT

THE BAG HER SOUL SAID

WOULD HELP HER BECOME A SOLDIER

YES, THAT'S WHAT SHE WANTED TO BECOME

THE SOLDIER - JUST LIKER HER FATHER

THE MEDAL - SHINING PROUDLY ON HER PAPA'S CHEST

THE HAT - SHE SAW HER MOTHER PUTTING LOVINGLY ON HER PAPA'S HEAD

THE GEM - WHICH MADE HER NATION PROUD.

DRESSED IN BLUE AND WHITE,

SHE MARCHED THE CORRIDORS

HOLDING HER MOTHER'S BIRTHDAY CARD

POLISHING LEFT TO BE COLOURED

TUCKED IT SAFE IN BELT.

SHE RETURNED HOME,

DRESSED IN HER FAVOURITE COLOUR,

THE COLOUR OF LOVE - RED.

HER EYES WERE CLOSED,

WHITE PATCH AT THE CORNER OF HER EYE,

HER MOTHER WIPED THE DRIED TEAR WITH HER HANDS.

OH! SHE FELT THE PAIN.

THE MONSTERS STILL HAVE COURAGE?

THEY HAVE THE EXPLANATION LEFT?

TOOK THE REVENGE?

FOLLOWERS OF ISLAM?

MEN OF ALLAH?

MEN???

THE CARD ON HER BELT MADE HER THE MEDAL,

THE COFFIN MADE HER THE HAT,

HER BROKEN BREATH MADE HER THE GEM,

HER FRIENDS WERE MEN.

SHE WAS REAL MAN.

NO WORDS HAVE THE ANSWER,

NO PRAYER HAS THE HEALING,

TO REPLY THAT TEAR EYED MOTHER,

TO CURE THAT BROKEN FATHER,

TO MAKE THAT SMILE COME BACK,

WHAT WAS HER FAULT?
WHY THE SYNONYM OF ALLAH?

QUEEN of Bollywood: 1000 weeks and counting

Movies I have always enjoyed. Ah! Many of them. Below are two movies which I just love to watch again and again.

1. Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (The Brave Hearted Will Take Away the Bride)

Voted Favruite Indian film of past 100 years, DDLJ is one movie which has made its way to every Indian heart. Believe me, till date, i have not found a single person who did not liked the movie.
Simple family values exxegerted to their length, idiotic comedy, drama and most important love is captured beautifully into it. Mesmerising locations across Europe and soothing sarsoon fields in India makes it an eye candy. Honestly, I have lost the count on how many times I have seen it. even today, if I ever switch channels and DDLJ is running anywhere, my remote stays untouched till it gets over.

• The song "Mere khawabon mein jo aaye" became the anthem of all teenage girls that time. It had the heroine dancing in rain in white dress - best - she looked pretty and not sensuous. I had the full song by heart and ha sung it for years.
• 'Senorita' became the synonym for the words like darling, baby honey etc.
• "It's Ok."- had been the custom reply to sorry. DDLJ changed it to - "Bade bade deshon mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rehti hai." (In big-big countries such small-small things keep happening.)
• Every second couple in county has the dream to run and hug each other in the middle of a bright yellow sarson ka khet (Mustard field).
• The copies of poster picture with Simran in green traditional Punjabi bridal dress on the shoulders of Raj has lost it's count over the decades.
• Needless to mention the most famous train chasing sequence. Many attempts have been made to recapture the scene, but all in vain. No one can hold the heroine hand like Raj held Simran. No heroine has ever run with half her heart as simran did.

It is the longest running movie in the history of Indian cinema, completing 1000 weeks of successful run on 12th December 2014. Till date people flock to the ‘Maratha Mandir’ where this movie is screened and enjoy it just as much as they did when it was screened for the first time.

DDLJ has won following major awards:
Film fare Awards
Best Film - Yash Chopra
Best Actor - Shah Rukh Khan
Best Actress - Kajol
Best Supporting Actress - Farida Jalal
Best Comedian/Comedienne - Anupam Kher
Best Director - Aditya Chopra
Best Lyricist - Kumar Sanu - For the song - "Tujhe dekha to"
Best Playback Singer Male - Udit Narayan - For the song "Mehndi lagake rakhna"
Best Dialogue -  Aditya Chopra and Javed Siddiqui
Best Screenplay - Aditya Chopra


Nation Film Award for best popular film


2. QUEEN

A shy middle class girl Rani, gets the shock of her life when her finance walks out of marriage just two days before the D-day. She decides to set out on her honeymoon alone to Paris and Amsterdam. The journey sets out to be a milestone of new Rani. She rediscovers herself, make new friends and finally kicks the jerks ass.

Although released recently, I just admire the movie. It's a must watch for every girl either married or unmarried.

• The girl gets drunk for the first time - that too to her length. I had this wish for so long - "At-least ek baar pe k talli hona hai". Rani dancing in front of a complete stranger just outside the bar on - "Hungama ho gaya" and confirming - "Ab aayi baat samajh me?" was hilarious.
• There are so many instances, every girl would identify with one or the other - boyfriend asking not to dance openly to be named one.
• It has a lesson for life - 'we always think that we have the worst situation and life had treated us bad. We feel this only till our eyes and heart open up to problems and sorrows of other's life."

"Mera haal na gupta uncle jaisa ho gaya hai. Gupta uncle ko na cancel ho gaya. Gupta uncle ne kabhi sharab nahi pi, cigerete nahi pi, fir bhi cancel ho gaya. Is se accha to pi hi lete."

This post was written for IndiSpire topic - "Let's relive the movies we've always enjoyed..the movies we saw, loved...cherished for life! Blog about the movies we can relive this festive season!" on Indiblogger.

I am sure you would be having some all time favourite movie. I would definitely like to know that. Reply in the comments section.

Walking Miracle

Tiny hands set free,
stood straight like a tree.
Brave inside,
little feet stood in air,
march ahead said my prayer.
one, two, three and four,
there you came falling with roar.
I held you before you touch the earth,
My lips widened to their length.

Oh dear! I wish the time to stop,
I so wish to witness the miracle,
again and again and again.

You stumbled,
You slipped,
You tried again and again,
there you were,
walking and shining,
My heartbeat raised every-time you went lower,
My eyes twinkled every-time you reached my arms,

I could not wait to cherish more,
The first kick,
The first jump,
The first run

Soon you would not need me to reach things,
Remember my dove,
You would always find me,
to hold you,to guard you,
to boost you, to push you.

I still wonder at the feeling,
which one was mesmerising,
Before or after the fall.

Have you ever been confused which one to pick from before or after the fall? Pour in your feelings in comments.

This is written for the prompt - "Before or after the fall" by Wings Of Change

Also linked to:

This post has been written for Prompt of the Month; a feature of Writer's Ezine

Yes to Love

‘YES or NO to Pre-Marital Sex’ is a never ending debate since ages. For me, it’s no big deal until it’s done with both consensus and in complete senses. The taboo word – ‘Sex’ is a completely biological phenomenon. Does the oath of marriage contain precondition – “I have never indulged in pre-marital sex”? No. The most important and common across all cultures is – “I will not cheat on my partner for some other person.” 

While, premarital sex comes with its own set of consequences - Increased sexual offences/ Pregnancies issues: Unplanned-Under-age/ Sexually transmitted diseases/ Associated Risk and Guilt, I still leave the decision to individual. Open up your eyes and make your decisions on what’s best for you. If two people are making love, I would never have an issue with it. But yes, just for the sake of fun/adventure/experience, it’s a big no.

I prefer saying making love than doing sex. I find the term sex very professional and sometimes offending. For couples, they never have sex – they only make love. "If you have someone that loves you, appreciate it... Because since sex came easy, love became harder to find."

‘Love at first sight’

None of them believed it,

Until they saw each other.

She knew it was him,

He was her prince.

He felt like his wait was over,

She was the one.

Together in their company,

They never felt sad.

Her gentle hands made his worries fly,

His warm hugs made her life bliss.

That dreamy night,

Moon was thinnest,

The sky looked spectacular,

Starts of love,

Glittered all over.

Her lips felt softer than ever,

His strong arms melted into her,

Making their moves,

They held their breath.

It's not right,

We must wait a bit.

They turned their back,

Not their hands.

They did not wanted sex,

All they wanted was love,

With that watering kiss,

They made love

Poonaam Uppal has authored a story of a girl finding her true love. Check it out at flipkart – “Poonam Uppal’s True Love – A Mystical True Love Story.”

Do you have your voice for “Yes or No to Pre-Marital Sex”? Speak you heart out for Indiblogger Contest – “Yes or No to Pre-Marital Sex”.

No Place Like Home

I walked slower than ever,

My hands were empty,

My eyes were sore,

As the sun went down,

My heart cried more.

Birds went back to nest,

Animals creeped inside their holes,

Broken and heavy inside,

I never wanted to return to those walls,

Oh! My soul shouted,

There is no place like home.

There I was,

Standing low,

Wait!

A hand held my hands,

Warm as ever,

Those eyes met mine,

Twinkling as before,

I am sorry for the sin,

Finger rested on my lips,

Stopping me speak,

Hand in hand,

Eye in eye,

We stepped into our world,

You stole my words,

There is no place like home.

Written for the Prompt - there is no place like home on Facebook page - Wings Of Change

What do you have to say about "There Is No Place Like Home"? Write your thoughts in comments section. I am eagerly waiting to read your mind.

Book Review: God Is A Gamer by Ravi Subamanian

About the author: 
As I always let the author speak for him/herself - http://www.ravisubramanian.in/

The Blurb (as on Good reads):
Aditya runs a gaming company that is struggling to break even. A banker slips off a
high-rise building, plunging to her death. The finance minister has made some promises
that he is finding hard to keep. The LTTE has unleashed terror in America that sends
the FBI on a wild goose chase, bringing them to Mumbai.
Enter Varun, part-time drug dealer and full-time genius. He turns around the gaming
company before disaster strikes. Meanwhile, the investigators plunge headlong into
the shady world of bitcoins and the Dark Net, websites that only exist for illegal
transactions—drugs, sex and money. God Is a Gamer culminates in a stunning climax
where money means nothing, assassination is taught by the ancient Greeks, and nothing
is as it seems.

Review: ★★★

Cover Page: 
I found the cover average - similar to Ravi's previous books. I liked the Bitcoin currency symbol highlighted in GOD.

What I Felt About The Book:
The first catch that comes along with the book is - "World's first bitcoin thriller". Honestly speaking, I had no idea of the term Bitcoin. I even searched google but had no luck - I did not ouch much effort though. It was when one of my friends happened to see the book on my table and told me what Bitcoin is. Ravi Subramanian has taken extra precaution to educate the readers about Bitcoins.

The plot travels across different parts of world – Washington DC, Mumbai, Delhi, Goa, New York etc. The author made is best effort to entertain the reader and has successfully managed to get them hooked to the pages. Romance, scandal, murder, virtual gaming, drugs, money, politics and the list continues. Name an angle and this book has it all. The author also utilizes his technical knowledge on various aspects – banking, internet etc.., to full use.

‘God Is a Gamer’ is a nice weekend read with great blend of suspense, crime, love and technology.

What I liked:

• Short Chapters – maximum 4 to 5 pages each
• Fast paced plot – made me skip few pages out of curiosity.

What I did not like:

• The tagline – ‘Is Revenge a Crime’ is not utilized and the reader keeps wondering and waiting about the same till end.
• The different locations could be a hindrance to some readers. Initially, I had to make an effort to remember what this was in connection to.

I also found a trailer for the book:
 
Note of Thanks:
Blogadda sent me this autographed book almost a month back and I am very late in putting up the review. I hope I have not put my name in their list of bloggers who do not receive any more books.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers.
Participate now to get free books!

What does it take to hook you to a thriller? How did you like the book? Would you go ahead and read it after my thoughts on it? Write your heart/mind in comments section. I would be glad to read out your end of thinking on the book.