And We Had Dinner (Guest Post 3)

A few days ago, one of my friends got a lucrative job in a university. To celebrate the occasion, we decided to go for a lavish dinner at some restaurant. Of course, he was to pay the bill. After a long debate over what to eat and where to go, finally we decided on having a buffet dinner at a near-by restaurant. The date, time and venue were decided and everyone was to arrive at the exact time on their own.

I and my one friend live in a hostel so we decided to go together. We reached at 9pm at the venue. Total of 7 people gathered. But we were in for a surprise. We were told that there is no buffet as outdoor lawns are closed due to the Dengue epidemic. So we had to sit indoors. Searching the menu and everybody wanted to order their own choice. I ordered what I wanted. And as it is normally take about half an hour so we were thinking to sit and chit chat for a while. But our friend had other plans.

He stopped the waiter before he could place the orders.
He asked him to bring the bill in advance! The poor waiter was as much flabbergasted as we were
because the normal thing was to eat first and they pay later. But our friend insisted and so the bill arrived. It was about PKR 3500 (about US$ 40). Well not that much given the lucrative job he got. But as we were still dumbfounded by this act, our friend rushed out of the restaurant. Only after reaching for the door, with jerk of the head, he asked us to follow him. Left with no option, we had to move out leaving the waiter and everybody aghast.

We were thinking that may be our friend realized the money was too much and he wanted us to eat
at some less expensive place. One of us suggested that may be our friend left his wallet and therefore, was unable to pay. Our minds churning out different theories, we tried to reach him. He was moving with a faster pace. We asked him what had happened. We even put our theories in front of him. But he remained silent. Now we were really fuming with anger. What was that? That was like an insult to us. We thought of complete social boycott of him. But he was unmoved.

After walking for like a half kilometer, he entered into a dark corner. We were suspicious. Could he be kidnapping all of us? Or was he into some criminal activities? Or even worse, was he doing something immoral there? Everybody would have thought like that if were in the same situation. It was a dark night, with no electricity and being in a place far from human population, we were bound to be skeptical. Anyway, we followed him and reaching the corner, we could see some light probably a candle or a lantern there. And in that light, we could recognize there were humans. Who were they? Children kidnapped by these criminals? Or the ones used for begging and illegal organ transplant? One never knows with places like these.

We continued to move on and now we could clearly see the faces. It was a family consisting of an elderly woman, with a man, probably her husband, lying on the floor, apparently ill. On the other side were an infant with no clothes, and then there was an ultra-slim teenage girl, obviously malnourished. They were telling our friend that they had no lunch and dinner that day and the infant was unable to sleep because of hunger. Our friend took out his wallet, gave her PKR 3500 and left.

We were spellbound for the second time that night. This time, we were ashamed of ourselves. For
not having dinner at that restaurant, how much dirty and evil thoughts we had in that little time. On the way back, we didn’t speak at all. He offered us to dine at another less expensive restaurant on the way. But we could not. We were not hungry anymore. It was around mid-night when we reached our hostel. And I could not sleep that night. I often have had that feeling that instead of eating something very expensive at a very expensive place, one can satiate their hunger with something less expensive.
And I do that almost every day. But the money I “save” this way remains in my pocket. I never thought of giving the money “saved” to someone who cannot afford even a simple meal a day. And I think that night, the dinner which we didn’t have, was the most gourmet dinner that I can ever have in my life.

-Muhammad Israr

P.S. Thanks a lot for this lovely post Israr. I loved it completely but I am really sorry for publishing it little late :(

and for all of you you loved it.. do check out The Way You Make Me Feel, Its one of my personal favorites at Israr's Misterio Vida :)

Nothing is Random (Guest Post 2)

First, I would like to say thank you to Madhulika for inviting me to do this guest post and congratulate her as well on achieving the 100 followers. That is quite the milestone. I did not even want to start blogging, but at the encouragement of a friend, I did. If you look at my numbers now you probably would not believe it, but after nine months of blogging I had 35 followers. It was not until well into my second year of blogging when it really caught on and I figured some things out.
Mostly my early pieces are stories or tidbits of life but then a year and a half into my blog a commentor challenged me to write poetry. I had not written poetry since college, but tried my hand at it. Two years later, I have been published, featured in magazines, won the Twitter Art award in New York, performed pieces on stage, co-created several successful online poetry venues, the current one being dVerse Poets Pub.

Life can be funny like that, twisting and turning in directions you never saw coming. Not only is this true in my blogging world, but it holds true in my every day walk around life as well. I am nowhere near where I thought I would be at 38, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Everything that I have gone through, every high and every adversity has helped mold who I am today. Through it all I do hold onto a truth and that is "Nothing is random," everything happens for a purpose.

I chose a poem to share with you that I wrote almost eighteen months ago. It is a favorite of mine that I often go back to and reread for a little encouragement of my own. I hope you enjoy and congrats once again Madhulika.

Girl On The 7:15 Train

across the body packed aisle

of the 7:15 train,

unbelievably, our eyes meet

and i read a poem,

in their endless green.

i would write it for you

but then it would be

open for interpretation,

twisting what makes them

truly spectacular, into dross.

that's what we do

with poems &

other beautiful things,

deconstruct them until

all that's left is old

shoe boxes full of

miscellaneous parts

and no way to put them

back together again.

doors swish open with a hiss

of compressed air & we

exit, going our separate ways,

me to work, you

snuggled tight to your

mother's shoulder &

i twiddle my fingers,

deciding to keep your eyes,

an unfathomable green,

only for me.

- Brian Miller

P.S. Thanks a lot Brian... I totally loved your effort to write this post for me.... Much love :)

FIGHTING WITH LONELINESS (Guest Post 1)

 Jayendra Sharan is a wonderful bloggers who does not fear to share his true experience with the world... It was very sweet of him to pen down this post for me... This is a wonderful post because i feel at some point or the other we all face loneliness.. Check it out and i am sure that you'll be able to relate yourself to it...

Thanks a lot Sharan... :) :)

WHEN I KNEW that I am going to start my life, my life, on my own, I chose what’s best for me. I had to set priorities and had to take decisions like what is more important for me. I set standards for my life. And the part that I always loved till now was my first priority, to be alone. I wanted a lonely world, where no one could disturb me or influence me in taking decision. So, as much as I loved loneliness I hated crowd and to some extent people out there talking about me. But, I guess it’s was not my destiny. I learned to live with some special people. But that part of me still urged for the loneliness. I don’t know why, but I knew somewhere deep down that I am going to be alone, and I desperately wanted to be alone, although I was happy. But I think to be happy or not, is not in our hand. I was happy, when I was what I not wanted to be, and now I am not happy when I am what I wanted to be, pretty complicated huh…

FOUR YEARS OF my college, made a drastic change in my personality. I wanted to be the person with I could not end up. I remember my first year when I was completely alone, the change started to come and I felt there is part of mine which is unhappy for being alone. So, much talk about being alone, I guess. Let’s take a leap on time and come to the point when I was not alone. I mean I was not in relationship, like love, but I had people around me who loved me and whom I loved. I wanted to be with them for my most part of the life. But…there are lots of buts in this story; I hope you’ll bear with that. The story always takes a turn. I passed my first year and then I was in second. That is when I met the most important person of my life. I spent rest of the days of colleges happily, like I was never before.

I WAS A happy man, with whatever I wanted. I was now not in love with loneliness. I thought perhaps the days of loneliness have passed. After that I never wanted to be alone. But 

again, there is something over which we don’t have any control. At the time of campus recruitment I left alone in a company in which none of my friend, good friend got selected. I was once again alone. I tried to live my rest of the days at college with full enjoyment. I knew I am going to be alone in few days. And that same part which urged loneliness was 

happy again. In fact I was a little bit happy too, I had expected this, that no one comes to our life for a life time.

BUT AS THE days are passing by right now, I feel very fortunate because I know how to be alone. But still, even though I like to be alone, sometimes it feels like there should be someone with whom I can talk freely. Most of my friends have already joined their companies, unfortunately my company is delaying in joining, and so I am here, at home writing this, expecting each moment that someone is still thinking about me. I look at my phone with great expectation whenever it beeps, I think that someone recalled my name in their conversation, but it hurts when I get to know that it is none other than our customer care. I know what I am doing, and I hate to do that, I am fighting with my best friend of back days, hating every part of it, I am fighting with loneliness. I don’t want to be what I am.

Woo-hoo..!!! Celebration Post..!!! :) :)

YAY!!!!!

Actually, I got to 100 followers today evening...got all excited {triple digits for this lil ol' thing?? really ??}

I feel like taking a moment to celebrate the readers of this blog. You guys! I don't much acknowledge that more and more people are finding Madhulika Speaks a cozy space to drop in on, and that makes me happy! Some of you know me personally, and a lot of you just via the blogosphere. I love sharing little pieces of my life, my family, and my endless projects with you, and am glad you enjoy it.

Truth is, I'd blog even if just for myself because I get to babble everything here :)

But it's fun to have a growing readership, and really fun to occasionally run into someone who tells me, "I read your blog!" :D :D :D

I really Love all of you and I want to tell you people that its because of you that this blog has become so dear to me :)

Seriously, it is.

So I was thinking what I could do to celebrate 100 followers...

I could always give $100 to one of my subscribers?

Nah. That's stupid. I barely have money as it is, why the crap would I do that?

I could always give my 100th subscriber a steak dinner?

That's even dumber, why would I treat my subscribers to a steak dinner? I rarely have a steak dinner. ;)

So after careful thinking, I have decided to give a proper Indian lunch to ANY ONE of my followers whom I get to meet personally (I know its crazy, but its fun).

And apart from the lunch I am also looking forward for at-least two guest posts from my followers or any (random) reader of my blog..!!!

So, if anyone is interested in writing a post for my blog then please come forward and become a part of my celebration.. I would really LOVE it...!!!

Please contact me to show your interest by dropping a mail at madhulika.mdh@gmail.com

Hoping to hear from you soon :) :) :)

Cheers...!!!!

P.S. -   I'll post the guest posts by 8th of October :)
P.P.S.- Because of your overwhelming response to the guest post, I have increased the guest posts from Two to Five..!!!! Love you all loads..!!!