Tag: writing

Exploring Luxuries: Perspectives and Realities

Daily writing prompt
What’s the one luxury you can’t live without?
View all responses

Hi…

I hope all of you are doing well…

A luxury I can’t live without,
Hmm,
it really got me thinking,
what are the luxuries that I own and use on a daily basis…

Then the question comes,
what are the things that you consider luxuries,
do you consider a car or a bike to be luxury,
or do you consider a laptop or a phone to be a luxury,
do you consider the roof over your head to be a luxury or
you consider all of the above things that are basic of the basic things…?

Where I’m from,
having a roof over your head is a luxury,
but,
having a car or a bike isn’t;

having a laptop or a phone isn’t a luxury,
but,
having enough money to eat daily is a luxury…

What do you think the division of power is?
when one side is dying to barely afford 3 meals,
and the other generate many times as waste,

One side doesn’t get even the basic of necessities,
like water and a place to bath and relieve themselves,
but,
The other has all of these things readily available at their disposal,
whenever they want to;

This type of thinking that sees a stark difference and is willing to make an observation,
and an effort to expose those who oppress and keep them in conditions similar,
even after working many times compared to others,

This becomes a luxury in my case,
As I see and try to make an effort to those who suffer unnecessarily,
by helping them,
those who want to be helped,
and show a genuine need and want to be helped,
to be pulled out of this cycle that their generations were trapped in…

A luxury that comes when a silent observant being,
sees and processes things differently,
when others,
they just go and lower their head or avert their eyes to not see,
all the wrong that goes on…

MAYBE YOUR LUXURY AND MY LUXURY DIFFERS VASTLY,
AND THAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US…!?

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye 🤍

A wish,
in hope a child,
from a family that isn’t well off,
imagines…;

A room,
an entire room full of toys,
as he stares into a passerby’s home,
a family that is loving and caring,
he imagines,
Is all of this his fault…?

Is this his fault,
being born,
born in a family that works so hard,
yet,
earns so little,
is this his fault…?

Is this dream of a room,
a room as big as his house,
in which four others live,
is this his fault…?

As he sees the crib,
in which the child probably sleeps,
as big as the broken and unkempt TV stand that we have,
which doesn’t even cover a third of the room,
Is all of this my fault…?

Being born in a family that’s ridden with debt,
a child,
another one,
that they brought into this world,
to curse,
to push into something,
that isn’t even remotely as close as living good,
where diseases are widespread and making past 10 is a blessing,
is,
is being born,
being born in these conditions,
in this situation,
my fault…?

“A blame no-one will take…”

10/06/2025
The Power of Personal Taglines in Everyday Life

Daily writing prompt
If humans had taglines, what would yours be?
View all responses

Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

Another day,
another great prompt if you ask me,
if us humans,
each and every one of us had their own tagline,
a catchy phrase,
or something indicating the type of person they are,
or the type of work they do,
which would easily cut down a lot of unnecessary conversations,
or a part thereof..

Imagine,
if you were in need of a lawyer,
and on introduction in an informal setting,
they said their tagline,
like,

“A proficient lawyer,
and an attorney with 25 years of experience,
tracing the footsteps of (their parent’s business),
and taking real pride in their work…”

Doesn’t this make things much simple,
like you know what you want and what are you looking for,
with a simple introduction that starts with a tagline,
and you already know if you want to continue the conversation or not….

But,
there has to be some strict laws that are guiding them,
imagine someone forging their data or information,
(A much real possibility.)
just for securing a deal or a job and after that fleeing the scene without a trace,
which in fact nullifies all of the effort and dependence on this tagline system….

If you were to ask a normal person about this,
they would for sure be expressive of their feelings,
and within it,
in plain sight where their professional skills would be told in an easy-to-understand way;
But,
if they were seeking companionship,
they would add things that might be common like their interests like birdwatching or going on hikes,
or dog walking or something like keeping a garden,
which would signify that he takes care of his surroundings and loves animals and such,
making them a viable candidate…

Again,
we’d have to be careful,
that someone doesn’t come up with things that they can’t do,
and they added it just to make themselves sound better and get what ulterior motives they had…

NOW,
What would be my tagline you ask…?

“A hardworking person,
who tries to fit themselves into places that are new and difficult,
just to expose and gain enough skills to be a better person,
A writer too,
who writes without boundaries and seeks new experiences,
to be a better storyteller to his kids and grandkids as he ages like fine Wine,
coming from a business family,
and importance of learning things from scratch makes them always open for new innovation,
and skills that can be honed and refined further…”

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye 🤍

A table full of people,
waiting for someone’s arrival,
a person of character for whom they gathered there,
much more valuable his time was than theirs…

As they ordered some entrees,
a few drinks on the table,
slowly everyone’s taglines escaped their mouths,
a business owner,
a housewife,
a diligent employee,
a secretary,
and a newly appointed receptionist,
and in the background,
a newly married couple,
sharing the same last name,
sobbing she was as he consoled her…

As he watched from the corner,
waiting for things to settle down,
as his phone rang,
on hearing the news,
he went silent,
a single beep continued as he heard the news…

We couldn’t save the people in the vehicle,
a drunk driver whose tagline said,
“An addict who was clean from the past 5 years…”
was in fact drunk and ran a red light
crashing into the car in which his wife and kid were,
killing them on the spot…

The girl on being a friend of the nurse in the hospital,
which their lifeless body came in,
and confirming her,
of the worst fears…

As he got up to approach them,
they climbed into their vehicles,
and drove to the hospital,
unknown to the happening,
he sat there,
as he recognized,
a similar car,
a similar number plate and a similar bumper sticker,
before they flashed a photo,
with him and his wife and a child merely 7,
his whole world uprooted,
as the tires screeched and in the parking lot of hospital he was,
where they saw the remainder of his family surrounded by news reporters,
as he slid past them,
he saw,
on the gurney,
bruised up,
scratched and heavily injured body of his wife,
and on the other,
a crushed one,
from the direct impact,
on the passenger’s side,
A small,
little one,
his little one,
laughing and playing with his toys hours before…

As he screamed silently,
curling up in a ball,
unknown to how he would face,
face this world ever again…

“A fault in the system…”

09/06/2025
Essentials for a Fulfilling Life: Beyond Money

Daily writing prompt
What are the most important things needed to live a good life?
View all responses

Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

If you don’t have an Indian origin,
you must have never heard of this phrase,
“Roti,kapda aur makaan..”
this directly translated to having the basic necessities required to survive,
“Beard, Clothing, and shelter…”

A time like this where I’ve seen people survive with a single wish,
to provide them with these three things,
3 square meals a day,
Some cloth to cover their bodies,
and to have a roof over their heads…

But sadly,
many aren’t able to afford the basic necessities too,
which makes each and every day a barely surviving one,
much harder if there are dependents who need your aid and support…

For me,
the most important thing is money,
many a people spend their lives chasing it,
but aren’t able to take even a single rupee with themselves…

If I have money,
and can afford all of the necessities,
and much more beyond it,
what more is needed…?

I mean you must have heard,
that money isn’t the most important thing,
but everything has its worth that can be purchased,
a person’s closure,
good food to eat,
a night out to remember,
taking shots at the bar,
gifting the entire cooking staff with beer bottles,
or having someone who spends night and goes away on their own in the morning,
but,
the thing is,
you see someone earning money,
and good amount of it,
and automatically its assumed they are alone,
all alone with the money they earn…

Until it’s seen from a perspective,
from the one earning it,
and the absolute necessity it strives from,
BECAUSE THOSE DAYS HAUNT WHEN EVEN THOSE THREE WEREN’T THERE…

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye 🤍

08/06/2025
Tools of Expression: My Writing Essentials

Daily writing prompt
Who do you spend the most time with?
View all responses

Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

There are a few things that I love,
and most of them are those which help me in living this life,
or easing it in some way…

Those things are my phone,
my precious laptop,
and the bundle of pen and pad with a book that is bound with it…

If it weren’t for my phone,
I wouldn’t be able to reach you ever,
or these thoughts of mine,
you can call it a dependence,
but,
this sort of relation where the only thing that’s closer to me,
is my phone,
I mean there are people too,
but,
that becomes secondary as soon as things start to go wrong,
and I’m left all alone to fight battles that are mine,
(Which I was supposed to from the very beginning..),
so,
I usually have a phone,
though which I can reach those,
and those who want to reach me can conveniently,
drop a message,
or a call,
and we can fix a meetup or talk things over,
if the latter isn’t possible,
we can talk on call…

A laptop that I bought for self because of reasons that will sound trivial,
so,
let’s leave it at that,
the most I use and spend time with is early in the morning,
or,
late at night,
it has seen me at the most vulnerable,
and also,
when I was the numbest,
feeling nothing at all,
laying there just like a deceased,
and wishing for a connection,
until I found many…

The story of pen and pad,
goes way beyond time,
When all of this was a dream,
and wishing to be someone like this,
a writer who is seen scribbling,
penning down some thought,
or being their usual self,
just because there was a want to be heard,
not actually dreaming of being famous,
but,
a dream of having a way with words in which one can easily,
and gently portray what goes on within this mind,
that someone might find appealing,
or might get help by reading it,
(of some sorts maybe its peace or satisfaction),
because delivering what seems to be a thought and exploring requires,
some collection,
some recollection,
where the pen and pad come in handy,
penning down how and what I feel,
when I feel…

There are few people who are close to me,
and their well-being and thriving is really important to me,
so,
I try to be,
some or any sort of help I can be,
until they’re willing to make an effort themselves…

Cheers 🥂 (Happy weekend)

Love Waakiye 🤍

Often,
I’ve sat down,
With a mission,
and things that I keep on me,
with me,
Sitting neatly,
in front of me,
waiting to be utilized…

As soon as my phone pings,
it’s time to work on the prompt,
This body automatically goes into action,
Thinking,
sometimes acting on impulse,
watching a beautiful story pop into existence,
a reality that exists come into words,
words that are shared to you,
all of this world too…

As I close this,
or think of,
a medley of words still spins in this mind,
much of which hits the phone,
to be explored,
explored later…

“A Continuous happening”

07/06/2025
Why I Chose the Name Waakiye: A Personal Reflection

Daily writing prompt
If you had to change your name, what would your new name be?
View all responses

Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

The prompt still going crazy as usual,
but,
this one has me look into the old usernames and the alternate sites that I went through,
being a sort of different name and a different vibe that I brought there…

One of the sites that I uploaded my content to,
shut down this year in April,
and I began writing on it late ’22,
so almost 3 years of my content was there,
and there I went by a name that was randomly given to me,
on adding my details,
and that name still sticks to me,
As people who became close to me,
still call me by that name…

Whereas,
this name,
Waakiye
is much thought on,
decided with care and thoughts that go beyond normal,
A single word that has multiple meaning beyond languages,
It’s meaning much different as we travel across borders,
and get a different meaning each and every time,
Hence the considerations before coming at this..

The real name that I carry,
From birth,
there’s no such thing as pure and serene as that,
so,
there’s no changing that,
and the name that you all recognize me by here,
Stays on forever…

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye 🤍

A word,
a name,
that lives forever becomes the game…

For years upon years,
I tumbled,
and got humbled,
within a few years,
I found myself,
A name with limited excel…

A presence of which I became a seeker,
and traveled far lands,
caught within these walls,
called the mind…

So I sought,
one day,
the writing,
these lines,
these sentences,
these (Waakiye)…

They’ve been,
and will be,
from the very beginning,
till the end of me…

“A worthy name….”

06/06/2025
Books That Shaped My Perspective
Daily writing prompt
List three books that have had an impact on you. Why?
View all responses

Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

It has been a while since I’ve read a book,
but It has been one of my goals to start reading books in this year,
which I haven’t been able to pick up in such a long time even though there’s a post it notes that I’ve stuck in my room that I see upon my entry,
but,
Something happens,
Sometimes I’m too lazy,
sometimes it’s just that I don’t feel like reading,
and sometimes the time just flies away once I begin scrolling Instagram,
eating all of my said time…

But,
If asked that what books I’ve read,
that sparked a change in me is these three…
1. The Prophet by Khalil Gibran
  One of those books which was a hand me down from my cousin sister,
  and became one of those books which left me shook,
  from the bottom of my core,
  because it was one of those books which i started reading because i genuinely wanted to read and absorb something good,
  it wasn’t something that I did to pass time,
  and on reading so much and so many perspectives in such a slim book,
  although not easy to understand for a beginner,
  because of the tone its written in,
  condensed into a few pages it was the essence of life and how to live in it…
2. Dr. Cuterus by Dr. Tanaya Narendra
  I got this one as a gag gift from a cool friend that I have,
  Dr. Tanaya who goes on by the name of ” Dr_cuterus ” on Ig,
  is a doctor who guides all of us,
  including her 1.8M followers,
  about personal and sexual wellness…
  In her book she talks about things that is kept hidden,
  and often comes at a price that younger generation pays,
  she talks about all this in a fun and easy to understand way which keeps the reader hooked and entertained,
  A must read for each and everyone as they reach at an age where they begin to question these things where parents cannot or wont talk about it with their children…
3. A mix of religious books
  The third according to me is mix of religious books,
  A Quran which I bought as a gift when I went to Old Delhi on a trip with an old friend of mine,
  A Bible which I picked up as one of my friends was leaving the state as his father’s job shifted to another state,
  causing him to pack and move all of his stuff,
  from which he gave me a parting gift (kind of)…
A mix of books that gave me a perspective,
and exposure that no other soul can,
forever grateful for them I am and I shall be…

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye 🤍

Just like that,
amassing a fortune,
for some this might be just books that sit and collect dirt,
but for a reader,
it becomes a treasure,
that one can reap forever…

As the dust that sits,
and often its cleaned,
often the pages are explored,
As the bookmarks are shifted every once in a while…

As the story proceeds,
the good takes the win,
losses are taken up by the evil,
and with all of the things that happen in this world,
this cruel world that exists,
provides a comfort,
provides all of us a zone with some sort of stability,
that helps us to live in this world,
this cruel hard and cutthroat world…

“A safe escape…”
03/06/2025
The Simple Joy of Music in Everyday Life

Daily writing prompt
Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.
View all responses

Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

Have you ever heard music…?

I have,
and I can’t get enough of it ever,
there are times so hard at moments,
where I can’t face the world,
But,
music was,
and all I could do was wrap myself around in its comfort…

There are moments,
some dreadful,
some joyous,
that make up the part of my daily schedule,
and living through them becomes a pain,
but,
a music makes the passing of time easier,
by shifting the focus of the stresses off of me,
by helping me calm down,
and with a calm mind i can look at problems differently,
from various perspectives and find an optimal solution,
just with the help of music…

I listen to music to feel the emotions that I can’t feel,
haven’t felt in a long time,
like,
there are some tunes spark a sense of intense longing or missing a person from the bottom of our heart,
but,
that too has its benefits,
reminding us of our past and mistakes that have been made,
to not repeat it ever again…

During some joyous,
extremely happy times like marriage of close relatives,
or even enjoying night out with my friends,
i have found music to be our partner,
to enjoy happy moments,
and during it,
deepened our bond with each other,
finding things that we listen to by sharing them with each other…

I am really grateful for music to exist in the same timeline as me,
to which I’ve fallen in love with from the bottom of my heart…

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye 🤍

A journey that we tread on,
finding things that comfort us,
on a path that we set,
for ourselves to walk on…

In a dimly lit scene,
as these words paint a picture vivid,
enough to escape the real one,
and live in it;

But,
the reality often inescapable,
forces us to return,
cage our being,
our essence,
by catching us as we flee…

As we use methods to escape,
or feel something,
sparking a change,
sometimes an inspiration to be a better version of self,
or to be a better human overall,
and,
with that,
comes a sense of belief,
that it was made for us,
a gift from gods,
a hymn or a verse,
that detaches us,
cuts our worries short…

“A blessing to these ears…”

01/06/2025
कफ़न में ना लौटने की अभिलाषा: एक बेटी का संघर्ष

कफ़न में आना मंजूर है,

उस बेटी का,

जिसको पाल पोस कर बड़ा किया;

लड़ झगड़ कर ना आए वापस वहां,

बचपन बीता जहां उसका

हर बार यही कहा;

जलील हो एक बार,

बार बार,

लाखों बार,

सांस लेना हर एक पल उस घर में,

जो लगने लगा अब कैद—खाना;

ताने सुनने पड़े हर बार,

कभी छोटी जात को ले कर,

तोह कभी ना आना पैसे वाले खानदान से;

कफ़न में आना मंजूर है,

उस बेटी का,

जिसको पाल पोस कर बड़ा किया;

वोह एक बार हाथ उठा दिया जो,

सहम गई वोह,

रोती—रोती सोचने पर मजबूर,

ना किया किसी ने ऐसा उस घर,

जहां से आई वोह;

देखने पर कोई निशान नहीं,

हादसा ऐसा,

जिसकी कोई चोट नहीं,

पर दुख और पीड़ा अनंत,

ना जाने कैसे सहार गई;

वापस जाने को आज कोई घर नहीं,

जहां से आई वहां के लिए,

दरवाजे बंद,

किसी दुख के मुकाम पर,

वहा के दरवाजे बंद जहां बिताया बचपन मैने;

खुश होंगे जरूर,

खुशी दिखेगी,

चेहरे पर,

आँखें भी नम होगी,

जाऊंगी में वापस जब,

उस दिन खुश होंगे सभ;

कफ़न में आना मंजूर है,

उस बेटी का,

जिसको पाल पोस कर बड़ा किया;

तब देखेंगे,

सब गौर से,

अरे,

ये तोह,

बचपन में इसी घर में तोह खेली ये,

पर,

उस पल भी सोच में होऊंगी मैं,

क्या वोह अमीरी जिसकी कमी थी,

इस घर भी,

उस घर भी,

क्या वोह पाई किसी को,

या ले गई मैं अपने इस किस्मत की अमीरी अपने साथ;

उस सफेद में,

आऊंगी वापस,

पर आऊंगी लेके चेहरे पर एक मुस्कान,

क्योंकि,

दुखी होके,

किसी का दिल दुखा के,

लड़ झगड़ के

आना,

मना जो है मेरा….।

A sense of loss,
profound,
filled with grief…

Every breath taken,
in a sense,
to last longer,
than the last…

The pain,
like
a slow working poison,
hurting as its traveling to parts different,
and eats from within the being…

A sense of doom,
looms over the person,
a fear that haunts,
reminding,
of the change in dynamics,
of the responsibilities that were shed,
once she was given from a home,
to a house,
unknown…

Numerous calls,
a wish to return,
A wish to see the faces of those remaining,
BUT,
A strict no,
stood in the way,
As she breathed,
drank,
dabbed herself in poison,
each day,
until the blue,
overcame her,
and there she lay,
in a cloth pure white,
a call was made…

A call was made,
that carefree father’s laughter,
turned into nightmare,
as tears started to fall,
the drive was painful,
The words barely leaving,
As they saw,
their daughter,
or what remained of her,
in a cloth,
PURE WHITE…

Wishing a conversation,
a last one,
but,
unaware of the fact,
they themselves closed that gate shut….!

29/05/2025
Lessons Learned from My Work Experience

Daily writing prompt
What jobs have you had?
View all responses

Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

Exceptional work on getting this day’s prompt too,
the type of jobs I’ve had…

It might seem like i am a person who has done a lot in my life,
in a sense that these words or the type of person they portray me to be,
but,
in the contrary,
the type of job that i’m currently involved in had no relation to the type of career path i chose in my high school or my bachelors…

I’ve worked the same job and picked up various tasks,
starting as a helper,
picking up scraps and filling up coolant water,
and cutting huge quantities of material,
often returning home covered in soot and a layer of metal dust and sweat due to long shifts without breaks,
to operating machines big and small,
by learning the basics and now doing tricky processes on my own,
currently,
grinding things to their sizes within the specified tolerances,
and giving them to the customers,
Also,
face to face customer dealing from day 1…

The type of field that I’m currently in,
has unlimited potential for growth,
But,
it doesn’t have the matching pay to it,
you can have all the skills,
quote what you are deserving of,
but,
a helper or someone who will be taught will be a replacement of you within a few days,
i.e. no sense of job security…

Being from a commerce background,
I started with a blank slate,
with limited knowledge,
of the field,
but,
the sheer dedication,
and focus that i put in,
(not being able to find any other at the time),
i picked up the family business and have taken it upwards only…

Didn’t work many jobs,
but a range of jobs within one to develop skills that can be used in many places,
and,
I’m grateful for that…

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye🤍

Often,
I find myself,
sitting,
pondering,
wondering,
if the work i did today mattered…?

Did it matter that i woke up,
set that early alarm,
woke up before that,
and got ready to avoid the morning rush…

Did it matter…?

Did it matter,
that i arrived before anyone could,
and started work earlier than anyone,
preparing the type of work each and every employee had to work on,
make a detailed process and work sheet,
set timings to check the type of work that went on,
Routinely checking the prepared product,
the tolerance and the proper build,
and like that,
staying on these tippy toes,
i get the work done,
Advising,
checking,
guiding,
before i could look up it was lunch,
a late one…

It was 3 in the afternoon,
before i could sit and eat my lunch in peace,
by then i got a call for delivery of raw material,
inhaling my food i went out,
and brought some helpers,
and after a thorough investigation,
the product was kept in the designated place,
As the clock stuck 4…

Before i could go on another checking shift,
i was given a task to prepare and look at the repairs of a machine,
After meticulously studying and locating the err,
not within our scope the maintenance staff was called in,
taking up 45 minutes,
as i went on to checking the final product…

Before i could come back the machine was up and running,
downtime of 42 minutes,
which was easy to manage and work around…

As the clock stuck 5 staff stared to leave,
workday being over,
some overtime staff that stayed on half an hour,
by the clock stuck 5:45 the place was empty,
deserted like there existed none,
By 6 and checking all of the machines before leaving
not leaving anyone of them on,
and putting in my timestamp,
i left for my home…

where I sat,
just like that,
thinking,
did it matter,
as i prepared for another day,
and 4 more to come…

“Did it matter…?”

29/05/2025
Nostalgia for Childhood: Living Without Screens

Daily writing prompt
Do you remember life before the internet?
View all responses

Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

You’re not gonna believe that I was curled up in my bed,
thinking as the clock stuck 00:00 hours,
I should read something before going to sleep,
(Trying to induce a habit of reading..)
As I picked a book from my collection,
it was either Khalil Gibran’s collection,
or,
it was metamorphosis by Kafka which I bought,
the night before i.e. Sunday night from a roadside book seller…

Before I could even focus my eyes on the words written on the first page of metamorphosis,
It felt blurry,
remembering little,
the character turned into bug,
there was a description,
how he looked at himself,
who he was,
looking at the picture he hung that he cut out of the magazine…

that’s all I could remember,
the first page that to barely,
I thought to myself,
is this the same mind that read pages upon pages during its prime…?

As I put the book in its place,
a wall mounted drawer,
and tried to fall asleep,
but,
I couldn’t,
I was using 3 devices simultaneously before,
my phone checking the messages,
getting updates from a brother who’s fighting an addiction,
and doing a splendid job keeping at it,
Another one,
who just came back from giving a competitive exam,
and has had a long day,
requiring a full day’s sleep to be in working condition again,
another one who opened a new office and is dying from traveling as the commute has added 3 hours which he has to steal from these 24 hours…

My laptop for penning down my thoughts and ideas,
in the WordPress app,
as a few ideas flew by me,
one of which I explored last night,
and wrote a prose in a language commonly spoken here,
about a girl who is held in boundations,
and isn’t welcomed by her maternal home,
in a setting that is absolutely heartbreaking….

My wireless sound bar,
which played one of the favorite playlists that has songs from Panjabi culture,
some Hindi songs and Gazals or a collection of old poetry,
which brought me immense joy,
and every once in a while,
a new song would pop in and I’d have to change it,
and remove it from my playlist…

Surrounded by these things,
I thought of a life before all of this,
these devices,
these apps,
these screens and,
it took me back to a time when we had those buttoned phones and nothing more…

I remember,
getting bored of playing snake game and then going out to play with my friends in the colony we grew up in,
we used to run after each other,
play hide and seek,
hopscotch because we had these sandstone blocks outside our home,
which would make it way easier to prepare and play around,
but,
those memories were blemishing,
maybe I forgot some of it…

We used to wake up early,
watch our grandparents light an incense stick in prayer room,
after then watching them read the newspaper on the rocking chair,
sipping on their piping hot tea,
occasionally taking a bite of biscuit or rusk that was kept right next to their cup and saucer…

I remember rushing to take a bath,
after that hurriedly chomping down breakfast,
it was something light like poha,
or a paratha (Indian flatbread with filling),
something that we all loved,
after that going to school where we used to enjoy our friendship,
meeting those who we liked from the bottom of our hearts,
some crushes,
some whom we adored,
and found cute…

Our parents went to their work,
father returning home late around 8 or 9,
mother returning home early and preparing evening snacks for us kids,
and preparing dinner for the people in the house,
and finally getting back to bed,
late around 11 pm or 23:00 hours…

Occasionally going out to buy sweets like jalebis,
or something,
never missing the night walk,
staring at the starry sky and the moon,
as we used to walk back home,
tiredness kicking in as soon as we reached home,
and falling asleep under,
the rotating fan and occasional cooler blowing cold air which turned into hot after it ran out of water,
and then replacing it with new water after cleaning it to remove the foul smell…

The respect that we held for our elders and the stories that we heard from their own mouth,
that too very keenly,
shaping our beliefs and moral compasses,
without many distractions,
we were able to focus better;
and having a genuine relationship because of face-to-face conversations,
and learning about our culture and heritage from the word of mouth,
rather than having to search google or YouTube just like these…

A time to remember and cherish it was…

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye 🤍

Those were the good days,
we keep on telling ourselves,
as the generation that grew up playing outside,
before the technological advancement that made our lives,
Easier yet more chaos filled…

Remembering,
crying to our parents to play outside,
our eyes feel watery this day too,
But,
seeing the roads empty,
break our heart shattering them into little pieces,
a history of fun gone,
replaced by technology…

That crying before going to school,
and the tiredness that surrounded afterwords,
that sleeping after coming home,
or those time spent,
during exam period,
cramming everything into this little brain of ours…

Then pouring it all into these exam papers,
but,
remembering those times brings nostalgia,
that keeps us from forgetting those good times…

Going out with our parents after they returned home from work,
grabbing ice cream as they talked to each other,
worries about our well-being,
our school life,
and their personal life too,
remembering them talking to each other we used to feel happy,
that we were blessed with such caring and worried parents,

“The Simpler times”

27/05/2025