Thursday 25 January 2007

And things would turn beautiful once again...


And things would turn beautiful once again...
that's the way life is..
a cycle of joys and sorrows
a soft soothing snowball
a cold hard rock
softer than the softest
harder than the hardest
a cycle of joys and sorrows
that's the way life is
and things would turn beutiful once again..
the passage of time
heals all the wounds
no matter how deep they are
and then there is a new beginning
reappearnce of smile
onset of beutiful times
that's the way life is
a cycle of joys and sorrows
and things would turn beautiful once again...
however unbearable is the pain
things would cahnge again
the agonies would vanish
and anxieties would dissipate
a new wave of joy would come calling
with patience and wait
that's the way life is
a cycle of joys and sorrows
and things would turn beautiful once again...

Tuesday 23 January 2007

The Old Delhi Booklane




In that long and straight booklane
Many Sundays hav'een spent
Walking, picking, walking
The pearls and diamonds
Those lie scattered on the pavements
Amidst the heat, dust and sweat
Every time one returns enriched
With the precious treasures
For a few paisa and rupees
The booklovers of the world
You must go if you have not already been
To the old Delhi booklane
To the city ancient
To the city of yore
To see the vignettes of the past; and
To gather the priceless treasures
Those remain hidden in its heart!

Saturday 20 January 2007

I would write a billion words...


"I would write a billion words instead of becoming a billionaire."

This idea slowly creeped into my mind one fine evening seeing the rush for material comforts in this world. When it comes to money I just feel running away into the woods and live there by a river far from the maddening crowd.


What do you think about it...?!!!

Thursday 18 January 2007

A Voice (Poetry Thursday)


since long
a voice has been hidden
deep inside my heart
waiting to speak
so everyone could listen

the voice
so deep
the voice
so rich
the voice
so warm
the voice
so calm

since long
a voice has been hidden
deep inside my heart
waiting to speak
so evryone could listen

the ennui of existence
the emptiness of ether
the echo of entrapment
the end of eternity

since long
a voice has been hidden
deep inside my heart
waiting to speak
so everyone could listen

the ancient rhymes
the silent moans
the turbulent chimes
the violent tones

since long
a voice has been hidden
deep inside my heart
waiting to speak
so everyone could listen

the sufferings of the man
the sufferings of the"Gaia*"
the sufferings of the living
the sufferings of the dead

since long ...since very long
a voice has been hidden
deep inside my heart
waiting to speak
so everyone could listen

the joys of a child
the bloom of a bud
the love of a mother
the warm rays of the Sun!~



* The Living Planet


You can visit PICTURESQUE for more pictures

Wednesday 10 January 2007

Love


beautiful silence
silent violence
violent silence
beautiful violence

in love
out of love
live to love
beautiful love

silent love
beautiful love
violent love
beautiful love

sacred love
profane love
spiritensual love
beautiful love

love one
love all
live to love
beautiful love

Wednesday 3 January 2007

Readers on "River Valley to Silicon Valley"







"A TRUE INDIAN STORY,TOLD IN A VERY HONEST,HUMBLE AND INNOCENT WAY WITHOUT ANY DRAMA."


"I could not believe my self that I just finfished reading your book!! I realy don't enjoy reading novels much but ur book was such that I colud not wait to finish it.Believe me it was quite tough for me to read it on computer(no, I dont have any eye problems!) but I didn't waste a single minute and managed it with my daily house hold chores..It amazes me that we Indians are so different and still v much same with each other..Ur village river and school days are v much same as my husband tells me the stories and yr grandma is v v much like my own.. just two days before I planned to write about her and that v same day I found the poem abt grandma in ur blog and so I feel my grandma from the unknown world made me to reach ur blog! and the passage which deals with ur home coming after success made me cry..."

-Rachana, author of the blog FLYING HOPES

"I have gone through some pages of your book but my wife did not allow me because she wanted to finish it first.In our nation ladies first rule is there so I have taken the backseat.I can judge how good your book is..... after seeing her so happy.I also liked it as it has opened some pages of my life also of those days.How sweet.... those.... days were".....
"Wishing you all the success for ur upcoming book from both of us"...

-Deepak, Rachna's Husband

"I just finished reading your novel...a gripping story i must confess, i didn't take a single break while i read it"."I'm glad you're done, now you can find a publisher, sit back and have him help you with the editing. I must mention that the poems are especially beautiful...my favorite lines, which i think are profoundly lyrical "I was not born, I did not die"
Keep that spirit up.
-Sanjukta,(Hyderabad, India)A writer and a civil servant and the author of the blog Insanity/Ennui


"As soon as your book is published, I am buying several copies."

-Arulba, (Austin, Texas, USA)A writer, spritual thinker and author of the blog Dance of mind and A Mindful Distraction and her latest blog Minddance


"Al hamdu il allah...I have already gone through first chapter from your blog..Congrats for completing your first book. I am curious to know about your first reaction, feelings after finishing book.All the Best!!!Keep it up...Naguib Mahfouz (Egyptian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988 for "Cairo Trilogy") in making".....

-Rajesh( An Indian Diplomat in Cairo,Egypt)

"Please accept my congratulations on completing the book.It seems very engrossing although I must admit that I have not read the entire book.But I must commend you for coming out with a personal but riveting story.At first glance,it is very interesting as it represents the churning and changes that are happening across India where pedigree no longer matters."
I hope this is just a beginning.
-Anjani(An Indian Diplomat in Mexico)


"First of all I take this opportunity to congratulate you on writing a very nice book. When the manuscript landed on my table, I just had a glance on the 'Introduction' of the book. It raised interest and I started reading the book, thereafter there was no stopping till the end. I am not a scholar or a qualified critique, but from a common reader's perspective having below-average level of knowledge of language/literature, I can say that is is a well-written book. Sequences are nicely arranged and keeps the readed binded till the end. I liked the story more because it looked somewhere like my own story. I am sure many-many more will relate themselve in the same way, specially the Hindi belt youths. The story is capable of hugely inspiring the youths having ordinary background specifically hindi speaking ones and Biharies. Being a resident of Gaya and belonging to a ordinary farmer's family, the story really touched the core of my heart.
I felt, the end should have something more. Perhaps something should have been said about the political journey that the country has undertaken during last 50 years, and more specifically during last 20 years, about the energy that was unleased in Hindi speaking belt among middle castes after Mandal and its impact on such phenominal success stories. This is just my humble and may be ignorantt opinion.
I once again wish you a all the best and hope the book will find a good publisher and will be a grand success. I sincerely believe that it has real potential of becoming a famous book.
Please forgive me for having read the manuscript without your permission and then making some unneccesary and unwise comments.I
t will be more purposeful if the book is published in Hindi as well. Right now, I am not aware of a person who is good in Hindi writing, but I will keep this in mind and let you know if somebody comes to my knowledge. I shall certainly recommend the book to my friends. I once again wish you all the best."

-Manoj( A colleague working in Moscow )

"Thanks for sharing the book.I read it two times over and found it very moving. I realise that it really takes a lot to crack the civil services exam. I doubt how much of patience I have to sit and prepare a second time for the exam. And both my optionals are new to me. Anyway, I am not giving up so easily, will go through the motions to know it for myself. "

-Ashish(A Civil Services aspirant in New Delhi and a former employee of a multinational company in Singapore)

"Its nice to know that that four publishers have shown their interest to see your book"Three Generations". Best of Luck! looking forward to attend your first book release function or atleast get a signed free copy of your book. I have downloaded the soft copy of your book and read part of it including your JNU days. Its interesting read but I think, still better if you can relate your biographical account with something bigger. To give an idea I recently read 'In An Antique Land' by Amitav Gosh ( Rajesh you must read it, the plot is based in a small village of Egypt and provide insights in to Egyptian rural life. Jews history in the region and India ties with Middle east in the past.) He traces a story of a mysterious Indian slave of a Jew Merchant who setteled for some years in India in 11th centuary, married an Indian woman along with his own story ( he did his PhD work in Egypt) , So he is able to tell more than just narrating his own life experience. Arundhati Roy wrote her God of small things from his barsati in Delhi.I am just giving an idea how you can mix biography along with some bigger idea. "

-Devesh( An Indian Diplomat in Damuscus)


"Just had a glimpse of Abhay's new book.I must tell you Abhay,looks like a promising start.
And as they say 'morning shows the day....'so we expect many more from your side.Keep it up.....I am sure that the 'fourth generation' which is the next one will be equally proud of you because of some great work we all expect from you excellency.The "River Valley to Silicon Valley" is simple in style,honest in content and shows the way to millions of Indians how to overcome adversity and achieve their goals.I do confess that i have not read the whole book...maybe you will gift me a printed version."
-Abhishek( An Indian Diplomat in China)


"You have the bones of a good story and any good agent/editor can look past any grammatical issues to see that."

-Tara Bradford Holmes(Paris, France),An American writer, journalist, photographer, antique lover and the author of the blog Paris Parfait living in Paris.

You will not believe this I was able to read your book in one sitting.I really liked the simple and down to earth style of telling the story,being a civil service aspirant myself, I could identify myself with the protagonist in various situations.One thing I felt was that the book ended so soon,and suddenly the focus was shifted from you towards your brother,but throughout the book there is no parallal plot running about the struggles which your brother might have gone through.I get the feeling the last chapter was wriiten (which may not be the case) to justify the title Silicon Valley whereas the whole book talks about you as the central character.On balance I would say it is really a appreciable attempt,I enjoyed lovely poems which were put at the appropriate places,I would call your book a memoir,true life story.I also suggest if you could go for a Hindi translation of your book it will be inspiring to all those young Hindi speaking people who have a dream to fulfil, in one line if I have to express my opinion I would say "Its a simple child like account of a dream coming true despite all obstacles."

- Dr. Sumit Seth, Diplomat and author of the book "Review of the Forensic Medicine"

Hi Abhay

Many thanks for your e mail with the chapters of your book. I was able to print the entire book with a printer for a very nominal cost and have it bound, so it made for easy reading. I deliberately caught the train to work rather than drive (I have a company car) as it provided time to read your fascinating book. I must say for me it is written in the style of a master story teller, it captivated my interest on the train so that I was totally absorbed and unaware of passing stations and stops. I quickly became interested in your early family life, your aspirations and that of your family, struggles to matriculate and later life at college. I immediately felt as if I was walking with you in your life and hence have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The footnotes are also an excellent idea, as is the beginnings to quote a distinguished poet.

I am holidaying over the next few days on King Island , off the Tasmanian coast, but will take your book along with me.

Currently I have read 5 chapters.

I was leaving for work and in the lift and spoke with several of my colleagues. A young Indian man was standing next to me in the lift and smiled broadly in approval even though he was not part of the conversation, I mentioned to him in casual conversation on the way out of the lift about your book, and he became immediately very interested and told me he was soon to visit Delhi, and he knew the area very well and the address of your publisher and sales office. He took down all the particulars, intending to purchase the book when next in New Delhi.He was looking forward to reading about your experiences.

His namer is Gigantean Singh and I had never met him before, he did not even work in the building but was visiting. He was very pleased to meet me gave me his blessings as he left in a happy frame of mind. I doubt I will ever see him again.

When I have read you book I would like to include a posting, a short summary about India and then a book review on River Valley to Silicon Valley.

I am sure your family are thrilled with the book and your late father and grandfather would indeed be delighted. .

Best wishes, Lindsay Byrnes-Author of the Blogs Lindsay Lobe, Malawi Group, Melbourne Australia


Thank you so much for the PDF copy, Abhay. I started reading it and must admit, you have done a fantastic job. I was taken to your father's village and the charming atmosphere you paint so vividly. Rural India has always drawn for its simplicity and mystique quality, and your book has a touch of lyricism that brings about those facets in a wonderful way.

Many thanks for sharing.

Bhaswati Ghosh- Author of blog "At Home, Writing and of her forthcoming book "Making out in America"New Delhi, India

In my opinion this book is good inspiration for young people all around the world, who does not have anyone for supporting. They need to be driven by this book to achieve more. It was easy to read it, very touching, amazing relations with friends and family too

You want to know what the book has changed in me

it showed me the way I want my kids to bring up.


I can not turn things back, I can achieve of course more, but if i had another chance, if I got your book when I was teenager, perhaps I would not be who I am today such people like you shows we can achieve more, may be not to be the diplomat, president, top cat, but achieve even small things, just to know what really are our goals and do all best to gain it.

- Malgorzata Kucharska, Agricultural Advisor, Wrocklow, Poland