Book Review #89 : Small Is Big

"Small is the new big." With Small is Big, Rafaa Dalvi has created a potpourri of 100 diverse micro tales (140 characters or less) that will provide you a rich experience in easy-to-digest fragments and urge you to read one page after another before you finally finish the book. It is such a page turner and keeps you hooked.

The title of the book is highly justified. I was lost in the world created by Rafaa. It is a breezy read that gives the readers many flavors all seasoned into one book. Being a multi genre book, you will experience all emotions all at once while enjoying this book. But everything is not upright there, 10% is revealed and 90% is for the readers to imagine. Stories build up a thought provoking process as it is a perfect mix of dark, light hearted and diverse plots. 

And the best part is that there’s a story for everyone, including YOU that will have a huge impact on you. A superb collection of tales with topics ranging from love, loss, pride, crime, thrill among many others! 

Tiny tales or micro fiction are easy to read, and my favorite reads, as they require less attention span, infact, this book, you keep flipping pages and within minutes, you reach the end! 

We see many Instagram pages popping up every day promising to set a platform for Microtale writers. Being a writer myself, I love to weave micro tales too! And once in a while even a non writer is seen penning exceptional micro fiction. 

Rafaa Dalvi's Small Is Big, a collection of tiny tales, is work of a prolific writer.I have followed Rafaa's writing for years now. In fact, it was his blog and writings that encouraged me to dive into this world of words and I started my own escape, my own blog. 

Tales are alphabetically arranged. Some of the works that I really loved were- Awoke, Beauty Marks, Birthday Special, Change, Daddy, Desire, Doctor, Faint, Goodbye, Homesick, Lie, Lookalike, Management, Mother's Love, Name, Ring, Scars, Suffer, The Switch, Trapped, Useless, Zoom. 

Every tale strikes a chord. To get this book in just Rs 49/- was a treat. I read it on Kindle. 

Anyone who has even a minor interest in literature should read this masterpiece. 

One could sit with a friend and discuss their take on almost each story. This book can be such a conversation starter! These micro tales are absolute gems and their impact is everlasting. Brilliant work. Would love to see this one in print too. 

Congratulations and huge credit to Rafaa, you are so so talented and dexterous enough to keep most of your stories open to interpretation. 

MUST READ! Looking forward to more such tales. 

Rating: 4.8/5 stars 

Download the book now and read it on the go on your Kindle app or device.

Fishbowl Lives

There is nothing groundbreaking about this post, since everyone is aware of the dark side of the glamour world…the desperate struggle that newcomers go through, the compromises they have to make and the drugs and the partying which can take its toll.

The fashion industry is choc-o-bloc with debauched people and that it is tough to get ahead without making compromises, the competition is fearsome and the going is tough.

Successful models are often sad, lonely, broken people, addicted to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes. Godfathers are cruel, manipulative, exploitative.

Only those who maintain their honour, dignity, identity in a cruel world that spills over with grime behind the glamour manage to sail. Many fall prey to the hazards of their fishbowl lives.

Haiku #16 ~ Love

"Golden earth tones,

Brown - sky blue - red - yellow leaves,

Your love colors me!"

Nano Fiction 50 : Home

You are worthy of love and belonging, just by way of having been born into this beautiful planet.

You deserve to be loved fiercely.

You deserve to be loved by a man who knows how to love hard, know you inside out- your fears, worries, insecurities, phobias, and doubts, and want even more to love you through every last one of them for who you are at your beautiful core.

Who wants to see you at seven a.m. with eyes that only open halfway and strands of hair stuck to my bottom lip.

A man who understands that love is shown through the little things. 

Same like talking to an all-time-soul-understanding-friend and having a one-life-time conversation with a heart friend leaving the best footprint over the years.

It is in the soul of an individual to be with the one where life will automatically transforms into the best adventures experiencing the roller coaster ride worth trying, all filled with amazing and awe. They understand your needs, even before you say it out.

It isn't about looks, nor money but the simplicity in life that is so attractive together. Knowing you could survive anywhere as long as you are together.

Nano Fiction 45 : Murder

The issue of alcohol misuse and crime impacts not just offenders and their victims. Spouses, friends, family, employers, and communities all struggle with both the human and the economic toll of alcohol misuse. The trickle-down effect is staggering.

Research finds that many of the offenders where under the influence of alcohol, when the crime was committed. People go out of control and do things they wouldn't had they been in their senses.

Say no to alcohol or have it responsibly.

With this short message,

Love and Positivity,

Aayesha

Nano Fiction 44 : The Lunch

Caring gives us depth, compassion, and understanding. These things help us grow as human beings. 

How nice it is to have someone who cares about you, loves you unconditionally, and feeds you love. Yes, some people feed you with love. They love you so much. So much so that, even after being a distance away, the care will never stop. That is when you know, this is it. You are going to love them for eternity and beyond.

As human beings, we have great hearts -- passionate, feeling, sensitive hearts. Because of that, we need great love, not mediocre love -- and we need to give great love, too. Love, care, appreciating efforts and attention is sufficient to sustain any relationship.

A good relationship requires big investment, of time and care. The quality of love matters, everything other than that is negotiable. Find and wait for someone who showers you with fine quality of Love. I am so grateful to have people around me who understand it and make me understand this fact better. I am thankful, and you know it. ;)

Nano Fiction 42 : The Graveyard

"Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place.”  ~Rumi

The death of a person we love is the most devastating experience in life. We’re never ready for that and we will never be.

Suddenly, happy memories rush to your mind… Sadness invades the heart and you cry and cry.

If you’re going through this horrible experience, talk to someone. Don’t bottle up your feelings and pretend to be strong. It doesn’t work and at the end, you’ll just harm yourself.

If you’re dealing with the loss of someone you love, practice your stillness each day, become aware of your thoughts coming in and out. It is not easy. Allow yourself to be sad but more importantly, allow yourself to be happy. It is the gift you can give back to your loved one who is gone and to those still with you.

Nano Fiction 41 : Differently Abled

People with disabilities tend to survive in a world that is largely made for the “able-bodied” and it is apparent that they still want to lead a life which is no more different than normal people. But the bad news is—society, at large, views the disabled as a pack of retards who lack the natural ability to understand, comprehend or think good for themselves.

What I came to know so far is that it is our common thought, or probably our nature, to fear or ridicule people who appear different from us. But an absent limb or any mental illness does not define their character or inner soul. They have the same rights as everybody else and want dignity and respect from every individual.

Now take it on yourself—think for a while…what if somebody passing by stares at you or kids point out fingers at you saying weird stuff to their companions and even calling you derogatory names? Ah! Such an annoying feeling, isn’t it? Never know the sentiments and emotions until you yourself walk in their shoes, eh? Well, the bottom line here is; please treat disabled people the way you want to get treated. They are also humans and have the same feelings and emotions like everyone else.

You don’t have to be snobbish when you meet them, stare at them endlessly or even look at them with a downward angle—it sounds so offensive! Of course, be there to help if they need any assistance but DON’T try to act like an overprotective hen. Be open-minded, patient and accept the differences.

You must already know that people with disabilities don’t want to be pitied or being differently behaved. They just want to live a normal life. No matter what difficulties they have, don’t show so much pity or feel sorry for them as it makes them feel inferior. Just ask for help, if you think they need any, and wait for their response. Don’t become over-responsive.

Besides all this, we come across so many courageous handicapped people who refuse to overburden themselves with their disability and go on to live a fulfilling life. I find it really commendable, as knowing your disability and overcoming it with so much courage and willpower isn’t a small deal. Today, they play sports and do almost everything like a normal person in spite of the fact that every now and then they have to face problems but they learn to beat the challenges and live a happier life.

Coming to an end, I hope that people will stop focusing much on the disability of the people; rather they will focus on their personalities. It is not a person’s fault if he/she is retarded. Disabilities are just a part of our lives, but making it an issue and calling someone “handicapped or special” is what makes him/her feel different. Our disabilities don’t define us, so who are we to judge or look down upon someone with ridicule?

Random Musings!

Hello Everyone! Has been a while, I have not posted anything on the blog, but I did have a few ideas and stories that I posted as Nano Fictions or casual thoughts. I would like to share the images for you to read, here on the blog, in case you haven't!

And I will come up with a new blog post real soon. Keep smiling. Happy reading!

Love, Love!

Nano Fiction 40 : Endless Drought

Memories of you float by from 'Hi' to 'Goodbye',

Without you, life was boring and bland,

And then?! With you, it was technicolor,

And now, I don't recognize colors anymore.

There is no color and there’s no sound.
I cannot smell your fragrance.

I wonder why it can’t be found. 

My way is you and you’re not here.

I search the skies, the faraway oceans,
Hoping the gentle breeze will bring me -

A whisper of your voice,
A glimpse of your aura,
A quiver of your breath,
A ray of your love.

Can you possibly fathom how it feels -
To live without the unparalleled thing,
That you really, truly, genuinely want?
That makes your heart throb and sing?
Yearning, thriving, wanting just to see,

The only one who can end your endless, bliss less drought.

Do you realize how that feels?
To be abandoned, and hollow,
Knowing nothing but to brace yourself,
For the inevitable pain that soon follows.

For this terrible affliction, there is no cure.

The only hope is,

In the next life,

All the clocks will have to have the perfect timing.

Soul mates meet eventually, they say,

For they have the same hiding place.

:)

                                                                                                   Love, Aayesha

Nano Fiction 39 : Happy Anniversary

Have you assimilated someone's words like blood flowing in your veins? No bond is as beautiful as that!

It’s strange how this world works. It’s bizarre how you meet someone, a stranger - and after sometime, that same person becomes the most significant part of your life. Miracles are people. People, I believe, are the worst drugs of all.

You cannot live without them. And, that thought makes your bones wither into nothingness. It makes you rip your heart out of your chest. It makes you die - the thought "What after them?" You are so less without them.

That “I love you" from them makes your heart skip a beat, because in those 3 words, you can hear a reflection of their voice, honest eyes - screaming the same.

You are important to someone. You matter. When you get up, when you sleep, what you eat, how your day goes, what time you eat, all that matters to someone. That is true celebration of a relationship - meaning so much to someone.

Certain days are special than the rest. Anniversaries are milestones you reach in your relationship. Some celebrate in a splashy manner, some forget that the day has any significance altogether, some celebrate alone.

People celebrate engagement anniversaries, marriage anniversaries, etc. Of course, the day you were officially bound in a relationship with a person is significant. It is your commitment and loyalty towards each other - physically, mentally, emotionally.

An anniversary celebration allows you to pull back from your daily grind and relive a moment that changed your life forever. A day you always will remember, cherish and honor in your heart. Since that day, you go tied together, hand in hand through life, sharing everything together. A fairy tale begins, what is dream for others, is your reality. Celebrating year/years of togetherness further becomes a shared responsibility between two people to sustain that feeling for as long as you live.

Love is a miracle, sweet as can be,
That will always remain a complete mystery.
For though it is something that's centuries old,
It cannot be purchased for silver or gold.
But instead must be given of one's own free will,
And received with no promises it must fulfill.
And once it's exchanged in this time-honored way,
There's nothing that love cannot manage to say.
No problems too great and no problems too small,
For love, like a miracle, conquers them all.
And leaves in their place such a feeling of peace,
That joy, just like love, cannot help but increase!

Nano Fiction 37 : Reach Home Safely

Aren't people who ask you whether you reached home safely, the most adorable ones?

Falling in love is a  slow death in a matter of seconds. It'll always be too much and never enough all at once. It is like getting thrown out of an airplane by the damn parachute. that is why we call it falling. But if you can learn to fly together, you'll get the sunset for much longer. And yes, this is when you will rise in love. - Erin Van Vuren.

The warmth of your embrace,

And the sparkling smiles on your face...

Love is enough, to escape in the wind of yesterdays,

But, love is never enough for showering it on you,

Love is enough to never let the memories fade,

For they are my only treasure.

Nano Fiction 35 : Eccedentesiast

A popular fallacy of some mother-in-laws is - that a girl comes with a solo purpose in her mind, post marriage - to snatch away her son!

A girl entering a new house, has so many fears in her mind, but what people just conclude is, she wants to snatch away our son/brother from us.

Insecure people are always worried if they are loved or not and hence end up asking comparative "Who do you love more" type questions! 

Is it because they are possessive of their sons/brothers and cannot learn to let go or share? Is it the culture of interference that makes these women think they have a right to stick their noses in business that does not directly affect them?

Eventually, it is the men who do not feel slightly embarrassed about all this. Most do nothing to resolve these conflicts, their way of dealing with it is to ignore it.

Not all mother in laws can be portrayed as intrusive, unfair and notoriously adamant. But, a few, yes, they are over obsessive about their sons; with over-oozing motherly instincts! Many a times, which causes a harm to their own sons and changes their lives for the bad.

I cannot somehow buy the argument that - 'A woman's worst enemy is another woman.' We need to empower and lift each other up; and not put each other down. We need to stop being catty and vindictive against each other. 

I wonder why people are so. Each one has his/her own place in someone's life, which is irreplaceable. No one can be a substitute for the other. Each one is loved exactly in the manner they deserve to be loved.

Yet, people have to give up on the person they love, because the love they share becomes an inferiority complex to their loved ones and they become an eccedentesiast.

Eccedentesiast is someone who fakes a smile. Someone who hides behind a smile, when all they want to do is hide and/or die.

We live in a world, where people are of two types: 1. They cry their hearts out when they are unhappy, and 2. We are even surrounded by people who cannot even cry enough to relieve themselves of a pain. They beam to everyone at work and around, being an eccedentesiast about that matter, like it doesn't affect them. When in reality, it kills them.

I wish, we didn't live in an unfortunate world like this.

Nano Fiction 34 : Animals Over Humans

Some people are weird. They care more about the animals' pain than humans around them!

I am not saying, not to care about animals, but I feel it is essential that you first understand what suffering a human is going through before understanding that of an animal!

And most of the times, it is that very human who cares for animals that hurts humans the most! Such people are afraid of commitments and are scared to be answerable to anyone! They are least bothered to make up for the harm they cause to humans, but boast about how they care for the animals! Hypocrites, I say!

The first thing that comes to my mind is that animals don’t lie and they don't expect. They don’t pretend to like you, they either do or they don’t. There is nothing false about them, they don't have hidden agendas! And other than, when they die, they don’t break our hearts. There are a many reasons to love and care for animals, but that doesn't and shouldn't make humans secondary to you.

I think, some narcissists relate better to animals than humans due to the fact that animals are fairly self-sufficient, don't demand much. Intimacy is a thing that scares the hell out of narcissists, and seems outside the range of their abilities. They don't want to give much - neither time, nor care to humans, maybe because they are scared to get attached or simply because they are plainly cold.

The only aim of this post is to convey that humans deserve care too, just like animals. If you can understand the pain of animals, please do care to understand what a person can go through too - do not turn a blind eye to that and then claim to be a true human being.

Nano Fiction 33 : And Still Loving You

A million stars up in the sky,

One shines brighter I can't deny,

A love so precious, a love so true,

Within your arms I had nothing to fear,

You always knew just what to say.

Even though we are miles apart,

You are never far from my heart,

Not a day goes by,

That I don't wish you know how much I love you.

Not a day goes by,

That I don't wish better for you.

No matter how hard the times have been,

My love has kept on growing for you.

Yet, in the still of this life;

Not a day goes by,

That I'm not praying for you,

And still loving you.

Nano Fiction 32 : Eternal Middle

"One of the hardest things you will ever have to do, my dear, is to grieve the loss of a person who is still alive." - Word Porn.

Have you ever loved someone to bits and lost them? You will relate to this post then, dear readers.

Have you loved them so much that you loved studying his/her face? Just like that? For no reason, whatsoever. Like how and when their skin glows, when does that little drop of sweat makes way through their nose and makes it shinier? How adorable they look when they tell you about their parents? Have you felt the dire need to crawl into their lap, face them closely and just look at them for long hours?

They are the centre of your circle. And then - you lose them. That stomach churn, that loss. Have you felt it ever? The knowledge of never ever having them back - is disgusting to your mere existence.  The pain is difficult to endure.

But you continue to live, because you don't have an alternative! You get up-work-show like nothing's wrong-cry-sleep-REPEAT. That grief of an unprepared loss is always there with you. Sometimes you break down too.

Then you hear people say "Everything happens for a reason. You will grow."

These words are responsible for nothing less than emotional, spiritual and psychological violence. Because then you start finding "the reason", which is even more frustrating. That's the kind of bullshit that destroys lives. And it is categorically untrue. 

If you've faced a tragedy and someone tells you in any way, shape or form that your tragedy was meant to be, that it happened for a reason, that it will make you a better person, or that taking responsibility for it will fix it, you have every right to remove them from your life.

Grief is brutally painful. When relationships fall apart, you grieve. When opportunities are shattered, you grieve. When dreams die, you grieve. When illnesses wreck you, you grieve.

Some things in life cannot be fixed. They can only be carried. However heavy is their weight, you willingly carry them, because you treasure some things.

While loss made me acutely aware and empathetic of the pains of others. I have a more cynical view of human nature, now, and a greater impatience with those who are unfamiliar with what loss does to people.

My pain has never been eradicated, I've just learned to channel it into my work with others. And probably, by being happy reliving the memories in my mind and being grateful for the "eternal middle" I had, it is still better than "nothing at all". 

A Little Bit Of Heaven

After a super hectic day at work, what comforts me is a laptop, keypad, my words and coffee. And.. kids! I love kids. And especially my neighbor, oh my God, she is a munchkin!

Just, as I came home today, I found her playing with my kitchen set and dolls! I don't remember playing with them so often, like she does! It's total 'paisa vasool' for those toys now, in true sense. I love her to bits. When she asks me 'Kyun, Aayesha didi?' for some things, I go 'Aww, I have to answer this in the best possible way I can!'

She is an amazing rejuvenating agent to me. Sometimes, I realize, no one can fill the void of some people, I have loved and lost, but children - they are a bit of heaven, truly. I forget all my worries for the time I am with her.  All the wrinkles of stress from my face, fade away at the sight of her face.

I don't understand, why people do not like daughters. They are so adorable. I am again a kid, when with her. We play kitchen set, doctor-doctor, ghar-ghar, we blow bubbles and watch them fly in air, I  put her funky nail colors, style her hair, we watch cartoons and do so much more together!

Children are such pure souls, so innocent. They see everything with a nice eye. They don't judge, like we adults do. I wish we remained child-like even after we grew up; though unfortunately we learn to become cunning to survive this world and hide the child within us.

I can snuggle this cutie up for hours and feel so happy about life. Sometimes, I can just hold onto her, and share my vulnerability by not saying anything at all. It is fun listening to her tales; though I wish I had her to listen to things life puts me through, but then I realize I don't want this pure soul to ever know what life actually looks like. It can be cruel. She won't understand it and I do not want her to understand it too. Because that smile on her face, I want it to last forever and never fade away.

When I look into her eyes, I see trustfulness, curiosity and joyfulness. Her thoughts and heart are uncluttered and that is the very reason that she is so radiant. Her mind is so transparent and never scheming or cunning. And the cutest part, kids believe what we tell them.

"A child and God are one by character." I so much have started to believe this. I'd much rather see the world through the eyes of a child. They have an innocence about them that is genuine and very real.

May God, protect her from all harms, today and always. Thank you, Allah, for the positivity that Vidhi brings to my life. Really grateful.

Nano Fiction 31 : Good Memories

A clean slate is something many seek to attain, but many fail to achieve.

Remembering is easy. It's forgetting that's hard.

Sometimes good memories are worse than nightmares. They haunt you more. Because you know you cannot have or make those memories back again. They keep you awake, or even if you manage to sleep, they wake you up. They trouble you, because a part of you wants to relive them again; but you also know, it is never ever going to happen again. Because magic happens rarely!

Stored in the refrigerator of the mind and the cupboard of the heart, memories though stale, seem afresh when you just cannot forget them. That warm, familiar face that flashes time and again feels like home, you can never visit again, unfortunately. When you pictured happiness to be waking up in the middle of the night, shifting under the blankets and feeling the heat of the person next to you; and what it turns out is - you still wake up, drenched in sweat, when their memories haunt you and they are nowhere next to you.

There are memories we choose to live with all our lives. We know, they will do us no good, yet. Sometimes, we humans, cannot ourselves comprehend why we choose to cause destruction to our own self.

You really can't simply erase memories from your mind. For some reason, nothing works to keep them at bay. Maybe because of the people involved in those memories and moments.

Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart. There are memories that time does not erase... Forever does not make loss forgettable, it only makes it bearable. You get used to your loss.

Memories are bullets. Some whiz by and only spook you. Others tear you open and leave you in pieces.

I think there is always a little something left behind, even in the worst relationships, that you long for every once and a while. I read a quote somewhere that said: "even if he wasn't the best for you forever, he was the best, the thing you needed at that exact moment in time, even if just for a while." It's those moments that turn into the haunting.

Everyone has at least ONE person they will always miss, but it's kind of taboo to talk about it. As a writer, I feel my role is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say.

Pain changes you and you are no longer interested to build any more 'good' memories with anyone, because you are too scared of any happiness coming your way now. You are scared of welcoming anyone new in your life and give them the opportunity to leave you in pieces again.  

Nano Fiction 30 : Matchmaking

Despite Bollywood painting a very flowery picture of eternal love and marriages based on love, somehow I have lost faith in the Indian matrimonial system and Love too. In India, marriages don’t happen between two individuals (which actually should happen) – it happens between two families, like a royal political treaty. Which kind of screws it up.

Uninvited neighbours and guests gate-crash the wedding and gobble free food. Basically everybody has fun except the ones whose wedding it actually is.

The moment a girl learns how to walk, hawk-eyed relatives start targeting her as the prey. “Tumhare liye rishta aaya” is the death-knell on a woman’s desires. She is scrutinized like an object on sale and is needed to know how to cook, clean, walk on the tight rope, perform stunts etc (I know exaggeration!). Shooting fire from the mouth was the only stunt which wasn’t accepted as that was the exclusive talent-cum-right of the prospective mom-in-law. (Hahahaha)

Soon Sherlock-like matrimonial agents aka the aunties emerge as matchmakers where caste, family, and the girl’s “merits” are the prime concern.

I wonder whether if we can ever find Mr. Right or Ms. Right. And why this race to find the right? Why can't we accept people for who they are?! Why do we leave people for little faults of theirs? Why are we not a bit patient?  

Off late, I have turned anti-men and the concept of marriage puts me off, after I see what is currently going around. I wish India finds somehow a way for a woman to bear a child without a man. (winks)

With the changing dynamics of the “partner selection process", matrimonial sites are getting tough competition from the dating portals these days. Even still, we have such a high divorce rates, because too many options are available to get people replaced.

Does “Tumhare liye rishta aaya” scare you?!