...and she looked back and smiled.

The busy street and the beaming sun,

No time to stop, look how they all run.

Some seem so lost and some having fun,

Some yet to find, which one is them.

Confused by the scenes, i started to leave,

Don’t we all walk away from things we don’t want to believe.

Its then that my eyes fell on an elderly couple,

Sensitive, compassionate, just like the color purple.

The lady on a wheelchair, unable to walk,

He assisted her to the car, himself limping across.

I offered to help though wasn’t obliged,

He chose just to smile and said he will be alright.

He opened the car door for her, Sure must be a Gentleman,

Only soon for me to realize, there is not much that she herself can.

Gently picking her up, he made her sit on the seat,

Asked if she was comfortable and all the ladies yelling, So sweet !!

He then shut the door, not without checking twice,

Sure didn’t seem like the one who would hurt her, even if she ever were to try.

Limping across, now he sat on to drive, only to be alerted by the seat belt sign,

Walking back he came, with no sign of distress ,

Lucky !! did i feel ? All of this i got to witness ?

Yet again he looked into her eyes checking if she was fine,

And thats when i saw her, look back at him and smile.

The busy street and the beaming sun,

No time to stop, look how they all run.

Some seem so lost, some having fun

Alas ! Came the old man, with his chosen one…

- Rahul Venkatraman

And she lives forever !!!

Its been over a month that she has passed away. I was on the call with my mom, when she told me that my grandmother was breathing heavily. She had slipped into Coma a day prior to that. While my mom was crying on the call telling she probably won’t survive more then 5 mins, for me none of it was sinking in. I was still in hope that my mom would now tell that my granny miraculously opened her eyes and started talking as if nothing happened. I was still thinking that mom would then pass on the phone to her and she would ask me how i was doing and if i am eating well and taking care of myself. But..none of this happened and my grand mom passed away while i was still on the call. She breathed her last few finally closing her mouth and showing no sign of any movement. 

This was the moment that none of us in my family thought would ever happen. Yes she was 88 and we could say,thats probably the right age for people to pass away and move to a better place then earth. But with my granny we never thought of that to be true. She was so full of energy all her life that i would always joke that she is going to outlive each one of us and as insensitive as it may sound but when my mom would tell us about how our house in Mumbai would be equally divided post my parents passing away, i would joke with her saying "why are you telling me all this, this house is anyway going to go to Amama post all of us die”. 

We called her Amama with love which also means grand mom in my native language. When i was born she took care of me cause my mom could not have quit her job, she almost took care of me until i was one year old and finally gave up out of fear. I would apparently choke on the milk bottle she would try to feed me with trying to drink  all of it at once. Yes, i was like that even when i was one year old. Trying to eat/drink everything at the same time.. She would always tell me these stories time and again with the same enthusiasm and i would every time listen to those stories as if i was listening to them for the very first time.

She had a troubled childhood where her mom passed away when she was 3 years old. She also got married when she was 16.She would also tell stories of her childhood and early marriage to me, not with an intention to complain but more so with an intention to make us realize how better our lives were and that we should try to enjoy it and appreciate its value. She loved her life and the fact that she was alive and living with all the people whom she cared for. If God ever asked her if she wanted to live or die she would not be ashamed of sounding selfish and would very openly say, yes i want to live, live forever.. We all feel that way and wish that for us,and she was not ashamed of being open about that. She dint want to die. Period.

I have at times gotten angry with her for her showing tantrums, tantrums that old people tend to show cause they need that attention from you just like kids do. But now when i look back i feel bad for those moments of anger that i felt in me and i miss my grandmother a lot. 

I got to meet her 5 months prior to her passing away and spent some quality time with her. While the world would say and believe that she is no more alive , but to me she has succeeded in achieving what she always wished for her self. I truly believe that she has defied death and will forever stay alive in our hearts. Her stories will forever stay fresh in my mind and i will continue to listen to them with the same enthusiasm as always. 

She may have stopped breathing, but even God will have to accept that she defeated him and made him believe that she lives for ever. My grandmother.. My Amama.. 88 and still counting…

-- Ragulee (As she called me with love)

Lets again be US….

This Darkness is blinding and the sun wouldnt rise,

I was about to fall, so glad you arrived.

You held my hands , grabbed my fists tight,

Don’t you dare leave me girl, i sure won’t survive.

We beat the distance, now lets beat the dark,

Hearts burning with love,need no help of the light.

Its you that i trust, you are my only hope,

Walking blindly, not afraid of the slope…

“Don't trust me so much, i am not here to help,

Our paths hereon are different, and you are all by yourself.

You live in the dark, therein you reside,

Swear to God, i only love what is bright.

Walk by yourself,take one step at a time ,

Without me around, you must learn to survive.”

Why give me a hand ? Why not let me fall ?

If dark is where you think i belong after all ?

I thought we together would have travelled the distance,

But you seem to move on,  ignoring my existence.

I am here all alone, feel afraid to walk,

Come back to me dear, We can go where you want.

Its you that i love, be it Dawn or the Dusk,

Come hold my hands, from "ME" lets again be "US"…

From Me lets again be US….

— Rahul Venkatraman

Go Create History !!!

The night of January 14, 2014 when most of us were deep asleep in a state of nirvana, there were a certain 35,236 people who dint quite share a similar state of mind. They had a long, anxious night filled with fear, hope, anticipation and for some even a sense of giving up. The first light of the morning felt very distant to them and to top that the ticking of the wall clock was loud enough to not allow them to sleep, however hard they tried to. These 35k odd people are none but the ones who appeared for the CA Finals exam of Nov 2013 awaiting their results to be declared the morning of January 15, 2014. The morning that could change the fate of their lives forever…. and that is what it exactly did…

This year the CA Finals results saw a pass percentage of mere 3.11 % i.e a total of 1013 students became Chartered Accountants capable of working in a firm or practicing on their own in entire India. Sadly, for a few of my close friends whom i have been closely following during their preparation for these exams, these results have put them in the 96.89 % of the population.These numbers may have demotivated them and also many others who either are in process of attaining this degree or even the ones who aspire to attain it in the near future. But to me these numbers are nothing but a great, great tool for self motivation. 

Being a part of a group whose pass percentage this year has been so low, marking how tough and extensive its attainment is, is  in itself a sense of achievement that each one of you need to be proud of. Here are a few facts to further reiterate what i am trying to say here, there are only 200000 CA’s alive in India at present, out of which only 160000 are practicing. Only 200k become Accountants out of a population of 1.27 Billion Indians (Sorry i am not entirely sure how many zeroes in that number) ???, that is a meagre 0.015 % of the living population in India. Wow !!!, Now don’t tell me that these numbers don’t motivate you. Not even when you know you are only one stage away from being a part of this figure ? Or only a couple more months of hard work , sincerity and dedication away from being amongst the 0.015 % of our country’s population ?

Having done almost 60 % of the handwork.. You have to be joking if these results came even remotely close to shaking your self confidence. I do realize that many of you reading this must be thinking that it is very easy for someone to write an article trying to speak of motivation, self belief, blah blah blah … But the reason i want you to believe in all of this is cause you are too close to be throwing in the towel at this point. 

As many of you already know, water boils only at 100 degree Celsius,so don’t turn the stove off yet. Keep the fire burning and make each day to follow a day filled with great amount of back breaking work. Look back but only to correct what you have done wrong in the past and move forward continuing to build on what you have always done right..

And I then challenge you that there is no power in this entire universe that can stop you from creating history.. You had it in you to come this far and its only you who can go all the way crossing the finish line.

I would like to quote a few lines here which i had once written for a friend.

“There's time to sleep, theres time to rest,

But nows the time to go give your best.

You have it in you and that’s no mystery,

Don't shy away, Come on !!! , Go create HISTORY”

P.S : I am no success story and nor am i a Chartered Accountant qualified enough to write such big words, i am just a B.Com graduate who does well enough for himself and all I intend is to motivate at least one of you many , to go achieve this dream and do way way better then what i would ever do for myself. 

Rahul Venkatraman

Disclaimer : Stats for this article have been gathered from various internet sources. You can either waste your time trying to argue them or you can just read this and make the best out of it :).

The ink has now dried !!!!!

For a few weeks now, i have been wanting to write,

Took a pen in my  hand and again i tried.

Kept staring at the paper and my hands dint move,

i told myself , maybe i am not in the groove.

Writing a poem can't be rocket science ??

The hands started to move, and i wrote a few lines.

i couldn't make sense of what i was writing,

maybe to write about, there was nothing exciting ??

but in the past this was never the case ??

maybe this was a just a funny day ????

 yes that surely must be the case  !!!

 Few weeks later ,  i decided to write,

took a pen in my hand and again i tried.

to my surprise the same thing happened,

will i ever write again ? now i was starting to feel saddened.

this is  the time, when something strange struck my mind,

it was not me, but her thoughts that always moved the pen in my hand..

with her now gone, my mind seems so blank,

when i  started to feel happy, life said, " hello !!! it was a prank …."

i thought i was a poet, but i was so wrong,

thoughts now feel empty, and this paper seems too long...

Its been a few years since i sat down to write,

paper is still blank and the ink has now dried.

Never took a pen again in my hand and never again i tried……never again i tried….

Rahul Venkatraman

Kya Rahogi Meri

Kya rahogi meri

Raat hai sabko de ti sone ki vajah ,

Bas hum hi hai jo bewaja jag gaye..

Neend se jaagna naa badi baat hai,

Baat to yeh hai ki, hum sochne lag gaye.

Kuch saal pehle ki yeh baat thi,

Pyaar hi pyaar mere dil ki jasbaat thi.

Puchatha jab bhi usse..kya rahogi meri ?

Haa main teri sada, thin kasam  usne li.

Uske baaton pe karna tha mujko yakeen,

Gehra tha mera darr, naa le koi usko cheen..

Saal do saal beete darr yeh kayam raha,

Haan main teri sada , usne ab bhi kaha..

Kuch dino ke liye mujhe door rehna pada,

Khud ke pairon pe tha mujko hona khada...

Pyaar naa mera thoda bhi kam hua,

Usko naa khone ki ab bhi karta dua.

Darr jo tha mera woh ab bhi kayam raha,

Phir se poocha ki kya meri rahogi sada,

Is baar jawab use kuch aur mila, 

Sar se pav tak tha main bilkul hila,

Mere mata pita se main karti hu pyaar,

Ek lauti main unki, woh mera sansaar.

Jaanti hu ki tu mujhko karta hai pyaar,

Par is rishte se hai mere gharwalo ko inkaar,

Chod de rab pe tu, tha uska jawab,

Chehra uska dikha ab jo nikla hijaab..

Koshish ab bhi hai jaari,hu main karta yakeen,

Naa mile hum agar, to hogi tu bad naseeb..

Faisle pe ab uski hai ruki meri saans ..

mere darr se jeet jau main ab... Hai meri yeh ek hi aas..

Laurel and Hardy

Lol is what you always say,
And please dont stop cause i like it that way.
May the smile on your face, for always stay,
Cos its even more beautiful than the morning sun rays.
We started  an important journey of our lives together,
You have always stayed besides me however bad be the weather.
In a year from now hopefully the journey will come to an end,
But i must admit, for others you have set a trend.
I can proudly say today that u are my best friend,
For even if i dint ask u always lent.
In your life today has come this beautiful event,
I am sure to see you smile everyday even god wud pay rent.
Happy birthday to you from your bestest friend,
And a prayer to god that may this freindship never ever come to an end.
Wah Wah !!!! i know is what u wud now say,
and i wont stop u, cos unlike u we are never used to listening that phrase.
Enoy your day today and have a great party,
These are the wishes from Laurel to her Hardy !!!!

                                                       -  From her thru me to you,

                                                          Imagination were hers i only drew.