From Biotech to War Barricade

The pride and honor that a uniform gives a man is not comparable with anything else. The life of a cadet is nowhere close to us – the civilians. The discipline, hard work and dedication that soldiers possess are nothing less than an inspiration. In the day when a son does not bother about his own mother, these soldiers die with a smile on their face considering our country no less than their own mothers. We can never feel what emotions they go through when they shed their blood for protecting us – protecting their motherland. The uniform is dignity irrespective of Army, Navy or Air force.

I have always been fascinated with men in uniforms. There was a cantonment area I used to pass by every day morning on my way to college. I could see beautiful black horses grazing on the fields, some colonels and lieutenants playing golf and uniform men busy with their schedule. The whole area was different than the other parts of the city. They all belonged to a different higher clan, maybe royals when compared to the civilians. I had quite a few friends who wanted to join the defense but very few could actually make it there. Among all the ones who are now cadets and getting trained vigorously, there is one particular guy who is making it far very fast.

I remember my friend describing him as the Biotechnology Department Topper whose intellect was very high compared to the others in their batch. When I saw him in person, me being my judgmental self thought he would do his masters outside India and probably be a researcher for a breakthrough discovery. I guessed he was another one who wanted to earn a few good bucks and a great name. I was stunned when a few days back I saw his photo in a perfect Army Uniform with neatly trimmed hair portraying a different personality altogether.

I couldn't help but ask him how and why and when did this transformation happen. When I asked him what the difference between army and civilian life is and how his life has changed after getting selected in the defense, he replied that the biggest difference is that as a civilian he hardly walked a kilometer and now he has to run for 10-12 kilometers every day. He said his life had completely changed; he is become stronger, both mentally and physically. At times he has to walk 70 kilometers with 20-22 kgs of weight on his back.

I wanted to know more about the punishments he had to go through as military is supposedly very harsh in this matter. He agreed to it and said that they had penalties even for the smallest mistake. Punishments were never a part of his life as a civilian. According to him, the reprimands are dreadful at times but they are worth it for breaking in some rules.

He does all the adventure sports we talk of doing every day. Para gliding, hill climbing, river rafting and so many. I mean who will not feel pride in handling real guns and grenades that most of the guys crave for but end up playing with them in counter strike only. He told me about a weapon handling training where he learnt how to use all weapons like AK 47, hand grenades, missiles, etc that he had just heard of as a college student. The power he felt after holding those weapons was an amazing experience. It also made him realize the responsibility he had on him.

When I asked him what was the best part of joining the army. He sent me a grin, :-D and replied

“Girls find my haircut very sexy. Apart from that I have the uniform so many people only dream of. I am looked with admiration and my family is proud of having a soldier in the family. Many in the college are trying in the defense and I hoe they all make it as well”

It was a nice chat with him. I got to know so many aspects of being in the army. The energetic training, the tough schedule, the closely controlled routine and the deadly punishments were all something I have never been through and maybe I won’t be able to survive it either. His life is going to be a challenge after this. He will have no specific job timings and no festive vacations. But none of these stopped him from joining the Army.

Today, where so many of us want to get out India and live abroad because we want our personal success, there are a few of them who still believe in serving for the country. And as for my friend, very few selfless people can take a detour from biotech to a war barricade.

It would be a better end with a salute to everybody who is in the Army or wants to be a part of it. As it is truly said

“The uniform thus is not fit for all. It finds the one who is worth it.”

- By Anvi Mehta

27 and single..!!

"It's the loneliness that creeps in, some ignore it, some let it get inside their heads and some face it."

The dynamics of the correct marriage age in Indian community has been changing from time to time. The modern thinking society of the metros has single women of more than 30 years of age while the conservative village folks want their daughters married by the age of 18-20. There are various categories formed because of this wide range of "marital ages".

Some women prefer getting married soon and having a family of their own. I respect them because managing a house for free is the toughest job anyone could do. Some women prefer to make a mark in their chosen field of career. They want to travel the world, explore themselves and marry when they feel they have lived the bachelor life enough. They are the women who have proved that they can be nothing less than men.
The problem comes with the women who cannot decide on what path to chose. I might sound rude, but there are women who are stuck in between, and stuck very bad. They are confused with life and soon end up being frustrated as well. Right now there will be readers smirking at my statements. But observe closely, there are women who complaint a lot, have a wrecked love life and nothing in their job is ever pleasant.

These symptoms are quite evident after the girl is single and 27. The girl wants to make a career, but after struggling for 3-4 years they have nothing but a tormenting job in hand. They either have a bad past or have never fallen in love. Many women do want to go out in the open wearing shorts but have a narrow thing coming in between when the relationship comes in. Ofourse you wont find a saint in the MNC corporates or something who would love you with no intentions of even touching you! Hence, one of the reasons for a heartbreak with slow or no moving on. So, no moral support from anybody results into another jiff.
The title 27 and single is no good if you are jobless and not even close to anythin like benefit friends. Imagine, you are alone on a saturday night and there is nobody with you. Your friends are either with their boyfriends or husbands, your siblings with their friends and your parents enjoying old age romance. Who will not get frustrated? Ofcourse, this is not the case with women who have put all efforts and dedication to their work. They have diverted all energy to something that has outputs, hence they are in a good position.

The women with confused goals feel lonely amd upset. They develop a thing with women below their age.
The insecurities grow heavy on them and finally end up making a mess showing themselves superior to women younger to them. The whole problem here is that we as women should understand that our brains should be occupied with something constructive all the time. When our ancestors said women should be married at early ages, they did have some sense there. The 12&13 was too soon, but for normal women including me should get married by 24, especially if getting in the arranged marriage business. The chaos between career fiasco and relationships failure results in loneliness. Loneliness is something all cannot enjoy and handle. Instead of torturing people around us and getting frustrated in our own lives, its time for the single and 27 to take a pause and think of where to go and concentrate there.

Rowing in two boats will drown you eventually.

This article is based on personal observations around me. Trust me, you should meet the 27 and single I know. Anyways, nothing personal, just an article I think I should learn from before I be a part of the league.

- By Anvi Mehta

Love - sometimes becomes speechless..!!

She was waiting for him. There was wind blowing across her face. It was cold and she had nothing to protect her from the harsh winds except for the muffler he had gift her some time back. The wind was playing with her hair, teasing her. She could not see anything as it was pitch black.
There was some noise in the distant. She heard footsteps walking towards her. She looked in the direction where the voice came from. She could not see anything but darkness around her. But there was someone was approaching her. She felt someone touch her hands softly, curling her fingers and holding them firmly. She gasped, the touch was familiar, but the feelings were new. She could sense a warm breath near her ears. She breathed heavily each time she felt the warm puff of air near her ears and neck.
"You called me here?"
He held her by her waist and whispered in her ears,
"Thank you for coming"
He pulled her closer and took her hand in his.
"I have something for you."
The darkness did not let her see anything but she could sense something like a ring in his hands. She blushed and moved a little away from him.
"So you don't want to marry me?"
"No"
"What NO?"
"You know I would love to"
He again went closer to her. This time he took her hands again and put the ring in her finger,
"I want to marry you and spend all my life together"
She turned around and suddenly his nose touched hers. She did not realize it because of the blackness around her but he was quite close to her. Her silence was a positive answer for him. There was nothing more than an inch between the two of them. He moved closer till their lips brushed each other. She was trembling with the gush of feelings she was going through. She now felt his cold lips touching hers. She did not know when and how but she reciprocated back to his kiss. She got alert of the intimacy, stopped at instance and asked him,
"Is your love going to stay the same all life, because I am going to be this all life?"
He pampered her fair pink cheeks and said,
"I am lucky to have you all my life and am glad I can see your beautiful face and your beautiful soul. But can you trust a guy you wont ever see in your lifetime.?"
There was silence again. He could feel cold tears on his hand which were still holding her cheeks. He.knew what her answer was. They loved each other and that was what was important. He kissed her on her forehead and said,
"I am going to be your eyes from now on and you will be my inspiration for life."

 By Anvi Mehta

A page from my Diary

"Flying away to a world where there is magic and adventure, living in a tale where there is a prince awaiting for me and finding the one who will hold my hands forever is what I want. Though my wishes are something quite common with many girls but they are not always granted for everyone. These are some thoughts I share through my stories, my stories that I wished could happen to me. Be it a stranger holding my hand in a bizarre wedding or me being able to talk to my 16 self. I wish there were wishes that could come true.
Whenever I have such impractical and fairytale things in my mind, I feel like I am living a dual personality. One self who is practical and thinks that we should make use of life as a chance to grow higher and work using intellect and brain. But when I start writing I somehow become a person who believes in a prince on a white horse, a villain who eventually dies, true love and happy endings. I become the damsel in distress in the stories where in reality I can cause a lot of distress to others:-P.
There is always a conflict between the two people inside me. I do not understand what to react as when I am actually being treated as a princess. And I totally become an emotional fool when I have to stand for myself and be practical. This dual personality does make me confused and chaotic. And this is quite evident to people who know me quite well. But I guess this is what differs the writer in me which I am suppressing because of my stupid choices. Now it is me who has to decide if I want to continue with the modern lady who will think practical or bring out the dreamer stuck inside who comes out only when I bring words together.
Right now I am here staring at the stars right above me. It is freaking cold and all I want is to do is keep on feeling this wind on my face. Right now I feel am a perfect combination of both my selves and I hope this night doesnt end soon. Tomorrow again I have to decide my destiny and try not to be throwing away the chance of doing something where my passion stays and go for my routine. There is absolutely nothing wrong in being a normal working lady, but it is wrong of me to live that because it is not what I want to. Isn't this cheating my own self? Am I scared to take the risk? What is stopping me? Am I just finding reasons of responsibility and family pressures which actually do not exist or am I just another girl who will complaint of her stupid life all the time?
There are many questions that are bugging me right now. Answers are right here shining among these stars, I am just not accepting them. I am not breaking free, I am not coming out of the shell. I do not want to regret anything in life, I do not want to stop dreaming."
06-01-2014

- By Anvi Mehta

Happy New Year..!!

The huge dome shaped tunnel had lights flickering from the top, they could fairly be called the evening counterparts of sunlight. There was no noise there apart from the buzzing engines of the passing automobiles. She was seated in one of those roaring sleek black Audi, heading straight challenging the laws of speed and inertia.
It was 31st December and it was the year which made her the queen of the golden screen. She was the leading lady every director wanted to work with, every co-star wanted to be rumored with and every other actress envied of. Today was not just the end of a succesful year for her but was also her birthday. There was a huge party organized for the actress in her Panvel Farm House. All A-List Bollywood Families were going to be there. Here she was on the expressway driving her convertible to reach the venue.
She was a diva and it was completely evident with the golden shimmering structured knee length dresss she was wearing. Her hair was left open to feel the cold wind of the night. There was some makeup, but she did not need much to look glamorous.
"Aravi, drive slow please. The media can make a big issue out of this."
Her PR Dave who was seated next to her screamed at her. He knew what the industry needed its actresses to be like. He would go very firm with Aravi to be that lady even though she was not meant for the elite and sophisticated lifestyle. He screamed and shouted repeatedly till she took him seriously and reduce the speedi. As soon as the tunnel ended she waited at the corner of the highway.
"Suck away even the last thing left of me.", she handed the keys to him and got out of the car to go sit on the passenger seat. Dave put the roof of the car on and started driving. He was used to these tantrums of Aravi.
She tried to calm down and tried to peep out through the car window just like a small kid does. In some distance she saw firecrackers up a hill sort of a place. She remebered that place very well. She knew it since she was a small kid. She looked at them and smiled thinking about all the old memories.
It was Aravi when she was 15. She was beautiful in her teens even without any makeup or designer dress. The expressway did not exist than and there was a stone mine company there. Her father used to work there as a manager and her mother was a housewife. Her family had sufficient to survive the daily battle with life. But it was not what Aravi wanted for all her life. She dreamt of more. Every birthday she used to go on the top of the hill. When the clock was closing 12 A.M. she used to stare at the sky filled with colorful dancing lights. She knew the world was celebrating her birthday and she used to be happy seeing those lights shining in the sky. She missed those days now. The freedom she had to live, laugh, love and dream.
She did not want to go to the party where there was hardly anybody who loved her or cared for her. People now looked at her either with lust, jealousy or sympathy. She was fed up of being monitored and judged fpr every action. She did achieve her dreams but at the cost of her life. For a moment she wanted to go back to the hill, sit there when the clock went closer to 12 and raise a toast to herself. No camera spying on her, no critics tormenting her and with the one who she had ignored for the past few years - she wanted to be with Aravi and not the stardom struck superstar Aravi.
"Dave, stop the car and take a turn"
"What?"
She waited and thought for a moment and than after a few minutes of silence she replied,
"Nothing I just thought I was living a Bollywood Film"
She smiled at herself and she knew she would not be able to go back now. She missed the old life but she had to live with memories alone.
She again looked towards the sky and wished to herself,
"Happy New Year Aravi"

 By Anvi Mehta