The Kiss

I had not known another body could do this to mine.

I had not known, before us, that every vein in my body was capable of carrying light, like a river seen from a train makes a channel of sky etch itself deep into a landscape. I had not really known I could be so much more than myself; I had not known another body could do this to mine.

—Ali Smith (via beryl-azure)

Peace within and beyond!

Conversations in my head - Part 1

Dear Brownie,

I hate to write this and I'm really very sorry but we can't be friends anymore. I have a new friend now, Miss Slim Pants. She thinks it’s a bad idea for us to continue being friends. I really cannot have both of you and must let one go. I hope you understand, Miss Slim Pants means a lot to me. She's so cool. I've wanted to be friends with her ever since I can remember.

You know brownie, she’s very different from you and me. She's smart, confident and beautiful. Not awkward at all. Do you understand what I'm saying? She's like the red velvet cake of your world; everybody wants a piece of her. But she can be too sweet at times. You on the other hand my dear brownie are just the right amount of sweet. She can be very mean but then again she looks so nice that most of the time people ignore everything else.

 It feels great to be with her, although it does get a bit uncomfortable at times. But you my dear brownie have always made me feel good. You were always there to comfort me and you never made me break up with my other friends. Oh! I don't know what to do! :( What should I do Brownie?

Love,

Damy

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Dear Damy,

You do the right thing girl. Sure my walnuts will fall apart without you but that's no reason for you to look back. You should embrace new things in life. It may hurt for a while and you might miss me, but soon when you're all pretty and thin and you're with Miss Slim Pants, you'll forget all about me. But I will never forget you my dear. I'll always look out for you from behind the counters of Theobroma; and when you walk in with Miss Slim Pants and order yourself only a cup of green tea, I'll understand that you've moved on.

Be happy my friend.

Love,

Brownie

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Dear Brownie,

It's been a month since I saw you last. I'm so lonely without you. There's no sweetness left in my life anymore. Miss Slim Pants says that she can't be friends with me yet and I need to exercise and stop eating altogether if I want to be with her. I think she's very mean.

Can I come and see you sometime?

Love,

Damy

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Dear Damy,

Of course you can come and see me. I'm still here and my love for you is unconditional. You know I'd never ask you to change one thing about you. I love you just the way you are, love handles and all. :)

You'll always be my friend.

Love,

Brownie

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 Dear Brownie.

You're a true friend and I love you too!

I know what I must do now. I'm breaking up with Miss Slim Pants. She's a mean bitch.

I just want to be with you. I have so much to tell you. xoxo

Let's meet up over a cup of coffee?

Love,

Damy

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Dear Damy,

I'll be waiting for you! xoxo

Love,

Brownie

Bombay Rain

Rain in Bombay is something else altogether. We wait all year long for the rains, grumbling, complaining, and pleading to the rain gods; but when it arrives we regret its arrival almost immediately. That’s how Bombay rain is, you can’t live with it, and you can’t live without it.

The first day that it rained for just 3 hours, the entire city went crazy. It was like when you leave blind mice in a box that smells of cheese, they run helter skelter. Everyone seemed so confused. They didn't know what had hit them. Roads were jammed, traffic choked, new pits and manholes magically appeared on the roads. There wasn't a rickshaw in sight; all the drivers suddenly seemed to have vanished in to thin air. People were running for shelter. It was total chaos.

Only after a day or two of torrential rainfall did people finally get the hang of it and moved about their daily lives unperturbed by the rain. Normalcy returned, at least on the surface.

I have loved the rains for as long as I remember, especially in Shillong. The hills come alive with the first shower. The fresh smell of wet earth, roads that look clean and pristine, leaves that turn a darker shade of green and the lovely cold breeze. Steady pitter patter of raindrops on tin roofs and the occasional sun peeping from the clouds.

Bombay rains are so different. There is no petrichor, instead there is a dirty stink that will make you gag. Dug up roads are filled with knee deep muck. Getting somewhere during the rain is a royal pain in the ass. And mind you, in Bombay it doesn't just rain, it pours. It’s like somebody’s emptying bucketful of water on your head. People who haven’t been out of Bombay in rains will not understand what all the fuss is about.

But no matter how difficult life gets in Bombay during the rains, I’ll always have a special place for it in my heart. Long drives with friends, bhajia and chai at a tapri, getting splashed by big wild waves in Marine Drive, sharing a steaming mug of coffee and conversations with your best friend while watching the rain pour harder than ever before… and my red raincoat.

This is my Bombay rain, a part of my heart.