Razorback

I just gave myself a most precious gift. A bicycle. Yeah I know some people will think I'm being silly, childish or even uncool... but as far as I am concerned it's one of the best things I could possess at the moment.

Weird name. Razorback. What are they trying to convey through the name? It doesn't actually mean anything. A razor. Brings to your mind words like sharp and cutting, meaning to convey the impression of the edge, the edge of something steep. Alright so you have stuff like sharpness and preciseness coming to your mind, but what does that have to do with 'back'? What can 'razorback' convey? The name actually means nothing. But it doesn't matter, because those of us who own one know what we wanted.

The bike itself is damn good. Unisex, so it can be ridden by both guys and gals. Perhaps a little high in the seat, but its dynamics are pretty good. It's strong and durable, comes in great colours, and looks pretty good too. One of the few things that has charmed both men and women simultaneously, though a lot of guys still prefer to go for typical male bikes (which have those high bars in front, from just below the seat to the frame supporting the handlebars.

But it's not just the fact of having an easy mode of personal transport to wherever I wish to go. Cycling on its own is a marvellous way of spending time, either with yourself or with others who think the same. There are people who use bikes less as a form of useful transport and more for recreation. There are always the naysayers who will sniff at the thought of expending energy as a form of enjoyment, but that doesn't matter. If with friends, you've gained a great way of spending what can rightly be termed quality time with them. It's not something random or impersonal or automated. It's natural, intimate, delightful. And if with yourself, you've just gained one of the best ways to relax yourself, exercise your body, refresh your mind, and work out your problems. Nothing works for solving your troubles as well as straining every fibre of your being in the most complete way possible, inducing your mind to work as well. Nothing works in the same way to calm you down and restore presence of mind.

You need something to distract you from your unhappiness. Something, the mere thought of which gives you relief; assurance that things will be normal. For most people this thing turns out to be a relationship or a cigarette. I have neither. The first is unlikely to happen and the second is dangerous to take up, bodily and socially. And it is this vacuum that makes me love my Razorback so much. It is something, that can give me comfort, that I can partake of without feeling guilty or sneaky, that I can openly revel in with joy and pride. I'll be heartbroken if this one too gets stolen, like the last one was.

God bless those unsung heroes, the innovators of the bicycle through the ages.

My Lover

I stand alone. Empty. In surrender; no resistance. Ready. Waiting.

And there my lover comes. He surrounds me. An envelope of alternating warmth and coolness, sending such delicious tingles down my spine, from where the thrill spreads through every fibre of my body, right down to the tips of my fingers. His touch caresses my skin, tickling it gently, exactly where I like it, delectable, sensitive, even caring. Delightful, pleasurable, without feeling guilty.

The air is so clean, fresh, pure, fulfilling even. Everything feels hallowed, blessed, beautiful. Sanctified, almost. The sensation striding through every nerve under my skin makes me feel so protected, so secure, so loved even, as though there is a promise of affection and passion that is unyielding as granite, inflexible as steel, steady as light, everlasting as time. Something that is always mine to count upon as my own. Something that I can be sure will always be mine. The love of this lover of mine.

I feel blown away. Swept away off my feet. I stand tall and straight and confident, and no trouble can destroy me. No sadness can still me, no regrets can besiege me, no words can hurt me. Such a heady potent cocktail of delight, calmness, joy, serenity... and I feel supreme peace.

The love which no living individual may be ever able to bestow upon me, which may never be mine to have from a living person, which it may not even be in the capacity of any living being to give to me - such love is given me by this lover of mine. The promise which no man alive would ever commit to me - such a promise is given by him, every time he touches me. The joy of being ever straight backed, proud and confident - such grace is granted by him, every time he caresses me.

Such is my lover for me. My lover, the wind.

Are You Going To Scarborough Fair?

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Remember me to one who lives there,
For she/he once was a true love of mine.

Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Without no seam nor needlework,
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

Tell her to wash it in yonder dry well,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Which never sprung water nor rain ever fell,
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

Tell her to dry it on yonder thorn,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Which never bore blossom since Adam was born,
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

Ask her to do me this courtesy,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
And ask for a like favour from me,
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

Have you been to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Remember me from one who lives there,
For she/he once was a true love of mine.

Ask him to find me an acre of land,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Between the salt water and the sea-strand,
For then he'll be a true love of mine.

Ask him to plough it with a lamb's horn,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
And sow it all over with one peppercorn,
For then he'll be a true love of mine.

Ask him to reap it with a sickle of leather,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
And gather it up with a rope made of heather,
For then he'll be a true love of mine.

When he has done and finished his work,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Ask him to come for his cambric shirt,
For then he'll be a true love of mine.

If you say that you can't, then I shall reply,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Oh, let me know that at least you will try,
Or you'll never be a true love of mine.

Love imposes impossible tasks,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
But none more than any heart would ask,
I must know you're a true love of mine.

I love this song. I simply love it. For days now, I have been able to sing nothing else, listen to no other song. This is the full text of one version of the song, though it is considerably shorter in the version sung by Simon and Garfunkel.

But more than the S & G version, I love the instrumental rendition by Lori Pappajohn. On the Celtic harp, accompanied by flute, percussion and violins. Totally amazing... and the best part is, unlike other pieces of music, though it keeps on playing in my mind, having it in the back of my head doesn't irritate me. It keeps me cool, calm and collected at all times.

Cartoon Characters

Entertainment always comes knocking on your doorstep. And it's always waiting to be received. You have to be sharp enough to hear the knock and let it in. That's all.

I've just come back to the place which I call my home at present. I've been here for two years and will be here for two more. And I've just realized that I can't be starved for entertainment in this place. Not if I look for it well enough.

There are the practical sessions. Where each group consists of eight people working together to prove a result. Rather, one person tries to figure out what exactly is going on and how it's supposed to go, another person writes the numbers like the family munimji, while the rest sit around watching the effort and providing much needed comic relief.

There's the prof who takes one of the weightiest subjects that could have been devised for the purpose of self-lobotomy. We think he's got a wig. Don't know for sure, but we can't help feeling so, thanks to that fluffy hair and smooth neck... his neck is smoother than mine! Unless he is in the habit of shaving that area of his body everyday, it just has to be a wig. We need to find a way of finding out. Of course, a little bit of string, a hook and a convenient place to hang them might just work out...

There's one of the most intelligent men I've ever had the fortune to meet, a friend of my father, and father of one of my closest friends. Did you know that if you double the size of a raindrop, the energy with which it hits the ground increases by a power of seven? Yes, seven. And a power of seven, not a factor. It's rare enough to find examples of physical laws in nature which involve powers higher than 3. The law of blackbody radiation is the only well-known examples involving a power of 4. The rest are all pretty detailed and obscure. This particular law is the only one yet known involving a power of 7. The physics behind it is simple and interesting. A gentle perusal of any decently written high school physics textbook will lead you to derive and understand the physics.

There are the young men and women who passed out of college and who still maintain links with us. Though of course they may probably just forget us as time passes. Still the stories of the ones who left their mark remain evergreen. No one is going to forget the young man who went to Spain for a conference, and packed his bag full of Parle G biscuits so that he wouldn't have to eat trash!

And there are the new cartoon characters, who come to 'further our education'. I don't want to spread unkind gossip bordering on slander, but really, I can't help mentioning the female who made a face when she was told the strength of the class for which she had to take roll call. "Number 83 tak call karna padega mujhe? Errrrrrrwwwww!!!"